


The Final PUNCHline

by TheresAReasonForThis



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:41:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 29,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26070562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheresAReasonForThis/pseuds/TheresAReasonForThis
Summary: You find a lonely circus boy in your summertime travels, but as the years of friendship and romance drag on, you find out more about this mysterious circus boy and you find who he truly is: A maniac. (Sort of will follow Gotham plotline, but with more spice. I will also be editing regularly.)
Relationships: Jerome Valeska x Reader, Jerome Valeska/Reader
Comments: 9
Kudos: 52





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave any comments or suggestions for what you want to see or what I should edit in or out! It's also on Wattpad too if you wanna read it there (it's the same)

It was love at first sight, simply put. As summer raged on, the need and want for the classic seasonal amusements grew. So to fulfil this need, you ventured to the circus one day. You were quite excited to see all the performances and amusements. The circus was the prime place for summer entertainment, and you were going to explore it all.

  
You skipped through, looking at what the circus had to offer. But nothing really spoke to you. But soon, your eyes fell on a ginger boy doing magic tricks. You stopped to watch him. He was doing a card trick, but at the climax of the trick the poor boy dropped everything. The older teens standing around and who had been watching laughed, making fun of the poor kid. All the ginger could do was pick up his deck of cards and hopefully try again.

You walk up to him, wanting to comfort the poor thing. You could see how sad he was, even from far away. “I thought you did good.” You say.

  
The ginger shook his head. “I messed it up, those kids laughed at me.”

  
“They’re just jerks.” You say. The ginger boy finally looks up. He weaky smiles at your kindness. “I’m [Y/N].”

  
“Jerome.” The boy said. “Do you wanna see the trick for real?” You nod excitedly. Jerome brightly smiles as he reshuffles the cards, mentally preparing himself for the trick at hand. “Okay. Pick a card.” You pick one out, studying it closely. It was a joker. “Okay, now put it back in.” You do so. Jerome closes his eyes as you place the card back, even turning his head to the other side. You laugh at how cute he was. You could see the boy’s cheeks flush at the sight. Jerome shuffles the cards again. He soon opens his eyes, a bright smile on his face. “Okay, now I’m gonna break the deck in half and your card should be the only one not broken, ‘kay?” You nod. With his bare hands Jerome manages to break the cards in half. You stand there stunned. You’ve never seen anything like it. And just like he promised, only one card remained. Jerome offers it to you and you smile widely when you pull out the same Joker.

  
“Wow! You’re really good!” You exclaimed.

  
Jerome magically puts the deck back together, taking the card back from you too. “Thanks. I don’t get to perform too often, so it’s nice to have a trick go right for once. I’m usually locked up inside, doing chores for my mom.”

  
“Maybe you have a future here.” You suggested.

  
Jerome shrugs. “Maybe. Oh! The show starts soon. You should go!” Jerome starts to shove you in the direction of the circus tent. You laugh, removing his hand from your shoulder. Just the slight touch made fireworks go off in both of your young minds.

  
“Oh, well it was nice meeting you Jerome.” You say.

  
Jerome smiles. “It was nice to ya know...meet you too.”

  
You leave the boy standing in his spot. He watches you enter the tent, his heart fluttering at the sight of you. He was in love for the first time and he couldn’t have been more excited about it. All throughout the show, you couldn’t help but think about Jerome. He was so cute, and even a bit handsome. Even with all the terrific acts happening in front of you, all you could think about was Jerome.  
You still found him after the show in his same little spot. He lit up upon seeing you and jumped up from the ground he was sitting on once you got closer. “Did you like it?”

  
“I loved it!” You reply. “But sadly, I gotta go home soon.”

  
Jerome frowned. He titled his head down, starting to sulk. “Well, I guess this is goodbye, huh?”

  
“Can I write to you?” You ask quite quickly. You hated seeing Jerome frown, and you’ve only known him for an hour and a half. “So we can keep in touch.”

  
Jerome nods. His smile slowly returned. “Y-Yeah, of course! Wow, I’ve never really had a real friend before. This is great!”

  
You frown internally from hearing his words. How could such a lovely boy not have a single friend? You find a piece of paper and you scribble down your name and home address, and Jerome does the same. He hands you the joker card, the one you had picked out from before. (Little did you know that this would be something you’d treasure forever).

  
“Don’t you need the card for the full deck?” You asked.

  
Jerome shrugs. He shuffles the cards in his hand as he speaks. “Eh, people don’t really care for the joker. No one but you anyway.”


	2. Chapter 2

The years went on, and you continued to fall hopelessly in love with Jerome. He was a charming and cute boy. How could you not fall for him? About once a week you’d get a letter from him, from wherever he was. Jerome’s letters were often long, since he added every detail of his circus adventures. He sometimes would send you instructions to his card tricks (and soon full on magic tricks), which were extremely detailed. You didn’t mind. You could tell that Jerome was happy to write you everything he could possibly think of, and you never wanted to hurt his spirits. You always wrote him back, abelit it wasn’t as detailed as Jerome’s. You always told him about your life: what your friends did, the mean teachers at school, the family drama and events you had to go to. This continued for years. You both were happy to have one another in your lifes. 

Of course, every so often Haly’s Circus would roll back into town and you’d rush to see Jerome. Writing was fun, but you always wished to see him in person. And you would never miss the chance too. Everytime you arrived at the circus, you would find him in the same place as before, a little spot beside one of the trailers. Jerome always lit up when he saw you, a rush of genuine joy filling up his spirit. And seeing that smile, that genuine smile, made you fall for him even more. 

“I’m glad you came back.” Jerome would always say.

“Of course I did, you’re my best friend.” You’d always reply. 

But as you two grew older, grew into the age of high school, your cute little child crush on Jerome slowly turned into a romantic one. You simply wanted to call him yours, be the person who stole his heart away. You figured it would never work. He was always away with the circus and he probably had met some other people he was more interested with in his travels, maybe even someone at the circus. Jerome was a catch, girls would probably come running for him you thought. You figured you had no chance. 

But Jerome was all alone. He had met people who were beautiful and nice, but he never came across anyone like you. You were the one holding his heart, although he never confessed it to you. On the nights where his mother would be sleeping with another man, drunk out of her mind and passed out (Events he rarely mentioned in his letters), he’d think of you. He’d fall asleep at night imagining your life together, a perfect life of love and happiness. It’s what he wanted, to escape the hell his life was. 

So when you both were sixteen, Jerome decided that he would confess his love to you. 

He had spent all his extra cash and free time shopping around, trying to find the perfect gift for you. He wanted this moment to be special, something you’d like and remember. He finally settled on a cheap promise ring he found at a pawnshop and a small box of chocolates from a CVS. It was all he could manage to do, but he figured you’d love it. 

“She won’t say yes.” Lila, Jerome’s mother, said. 

“You don’t know her like I do.” Jerome retorted back. 

“Who could ever love a fuck up like you?” Lila said. “Now, stop wasting your time on his and waste your time on somethin’ else. Cleaning maybe?” Lila left Jerome alone, sinking into a puddle of inner sadness. Jerome shook it away, hoping you’d say yes and that his mother was just being mean like she always was. 

Again, Jerome waited for you at your spot, holding the box containing your gifts in his hand. He messed with the bow, trying to make sure it looked somewhat nice. He wanted things to be perfect for you. He didn’t want to mess up. 

You found Jerome huddled up on the ground, holding something tightly to his chest. He seemed spaced out, like he was deep in thought. You could watch him think for hours, but then nothing could get done. You rush over, sitting beside him on the ground. He jumps when he sees you, and you simply laugh at him. Jerome was still the dork you knew and loved. 

“[Y/N], jeez you scared me.” Jerome says. 

“Sorry.” You say laughing. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Jerome shrugs. “It’s okay. But you’re here now, so it makes up for it.” You both smile at each other. 

You start to stare at the box, trying to figure out what on earth it could be. Jerome laughs, slapping himself on the forehead. “It’s for you. Here ya go!” 

He hands the box over to you, a bright smile on his face. “Oh, thank you!” You exclaim. You open it, seeing the ring and the box of chocolates inside. You giggle, saying “We’re a little young to get married.”

“It’s a promise ring, to promise that you’ll be mine forever and ever.” Jerome explains. “You’re the only thing that truly makes me happy.” He rubs the back of his neck, looking away from you shyly. 

And that’s when you see the bruise. It takes over much of his wrist, and it was fresh too, being a dark shade of purple. You set the stuff aside and grab Jerome’s arm. He doesn’t even flinch. You wonder if he’s used to this sort of pain, which was awful. You move his sleeve, seeing the bruise goes up to his elbow. You knew his mother was cruel (He would write about how she was mean) but you didn’t know Jerome’s mother was capable of this. 

“Jerome, what happened?” You ask. You knew damn well what happened, but you wanted to hear the story straight from Jerome’s mouth. 

“Lila had one of Grayson boys over. He shoved me into the wall a few times. It’s nothing that I haven’t dealt with before.” Jerome explains. 

Your heart sinks. Jerome doesn’t refer to his mother by mom but her real name, and he had been abused like this before. No one should ever be abused, but knowing that your adorable Jerome had hurt you hard. But what hurt the most was the fact that Jerome didn’t tell you. “Nothing you haven’t dealt with before?” You ask. “Jerome, why didn’t you tell me sooner?” 

“I didn’t want you to worry.” Jerome says. “I got this under control [Y/N], I’m fine.” 

“But this is not okay!” You exclaim. You pull him into a hug, a few tears leaking from your eyes. “You’re too wonderful to hurt like this.” 

“You’re too kind to me dollface.” He whispers. He pushes you away, wiping the tears from your eyes. “The show’s gonna start soon, I suggest you go and see it.”

You nodded. “The chocolates will be the perfect snack, thank you.” Before you leave him, you make sure to slip the ring on your finger. He smiles as you walk away. 

“Take that Lila.” Jerome whispers to himself. He closes his eyes, a wide evil smile coming onto his face. “You fucking whore.” 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to post this last night whoooooooops!

For two years, Jerome Valeska gave you the happiest moment of your life. He would often send you little gifts from the towns the circus visited, along with pictures (Some of them quite handsome and sexy) of himself so, in his words, “can remember me forever”. He started to open up about his mother, slowly but surely telling you the story of his childhood. You learned that he had a brother, but since he was the good egg he was sent away. His mother loved sex and always had a man in her bed each night. She and her romantic partner would often abuse Jerome. You would urge him to tell someone, anyone about the abuse he had to suffer through. Jerome simply shrugged it off, claiming that “no one would ever listen to me...No one but you”. 

Jerome always made sure that you got the finest dates when the circus was in town. He’d take you on wonderful picnics around Gotham, always having the most wonderful foods to offer you (Food he would take from the various diners and stores around the big city). Of course, he hid it well, telling you he got it himself or someone from the circus made it for him. You believed him, figuring that charming smile could never lie to you. You’d still see the circus show like always, and head back to Jerome’s arms before you left. 

For two years, Jerome Valeska was a normal boyfriend, a normal human. But nothing gold can stay, and you witnessed it disappear. 

You both were now eighteen, free from your parents and now official adults. You had always dreamed of living with Jerome, starting a family, being in love. He seemed like the perfect man, the perfect man for you. So, you finally decided to invite Jerome into your new apartment. Just like Jerome had done years before, you placed a box of chocolates and a key to your new apartment in a box to gift to him. You hoped Jerome would say yes. You hoped he could escape the abuse he had to experience ever since he was a child. 

You found Jerome outside his trailer. He was using his car’s trunk as a table, placing the food for your upcoming picnic inside a little basket. You smile, loving how careful and sweet your J was. You managed to sneak up on him, kissing his cheek to alert him of your presence. Jerome smiled, turning around to look at you. 

“You’re early, dollface.” Jerome says.

“Well, I have something to give you.” You say. You present the box to him. Jerome smiled, opening the box up carefully. 

“A key? I get the chocolates, but a key?” Jerome questioned. 

“I got a apartment. I was hoping you’d like to move in with me.” You say. 

Jerome smiled brightly. “You want me to live with ya?” You nod. “Of course I will!” He grabs you, hugging you tightly and harshly. You think he’s simply excited, and you allow him to hug all the air out of you. Jerome soon picks you up, dancing around with you like a crazed idiot. You laugh loudly, enjoying the exciting fanfare Jerome was putting on. Jerome was a natural performer, always entertaining with anything he did. 

The trailer door slammed open. Jerome stopped, placing you down gently. You both look towards his mother, who stood in the doorway. Lila looked down at you both with disgust, rolling her eyes at the both of you. You didn’t want this to be Lila’s first impression of you: an idiot dancing around. 

“Jerome! What the hell is this ruckus?” Lila yells down. 

Jerome rolls his eyes. “It’s nothing Lila, mind your business.” 

“Oh, look at that! Your little girly still loves you.” Lila turns to you. “He’s a monster, a deadbeat. Leave ‘em before he ruins ya.” 

“Lila!” Jerome snaps. He places his arm around you, pulling you close to him. “I’m going out with [Y/N]. We’ll be back later.” 

“You better.” Lila slammed the door shut, leaving you in a sense of shock. 

“Sorry.” Jerome says. He places a gentle kiss on your forehead. “She can be a shithead sometimes.” 

You just nod. “It’s alright. You won’t have to deal with her anymore.” 

Jerome smiles, remembering the key you so graciously gave him. “Why don’t you show me around, doll? Give me a grand tour of our new place!” 

You laugh. “Alright Jerome, I will.” 

You spend lunch eating in your apartment (On the floor, as you hadn’t had the chance to get really furniture yet), showing Jerome the few rooms the unit had to offer. It was a cheap place, and quite small, but it was perfect for a young couple looking to start their lives. Jerome gave it his seal of approval, although he complained that it wasn’t the best place for his darling queen - you - to live in. You simply laughed it off. Jerome was quite the romantic man. He always wanted the best for you. 

Jerome was giddy with excitement as you both returned to the circus. He had been planning his grand “Fuck you Lila” speech the entire ride back. You could tell he had put some thought into his words, like he had been planning it for a long time. But Jerome smiled evilly while saying it, laughing evilly when he casually mentioned her hurting or her death. It freaked you out. You had never seen this side of Jerome before, this insane boy plotting his revenge. But maybe it was just anger that he had pent up. That’s what you told yourself, it was simply pent up anger that needed a release. 

Lila was sitting on the trailer steps, waiting for her son and his girl to return. She was nursing a bear, soon throwing the bottle aside. She stood up when you and Jerome rolled back in. You led Jerome’s arm for a moment, making him look at you before he left the car. 

“You can do this Jerome.” You say. 

“Thanks for believin’ in me.” Jerome says to you. He then leaves the car, you right on his tail. 

“Oh, Mr. Romance came home.” Lila said. Jerome went right past her, entering the trailer without saying a word. You followed suit. Now you understood why Jerome wanted to leave this place so badly. There were broken beer bottles everywhere, trash spread about, dirty laundry piling up near the bedrooms. Not to mention the place smelled horrible. You tried not to cough when smelling it, but a few left your body. 

“What on earth?” Lila watched as Jerome threw his things into a backpack. (You laughed when you saw a sparkly diary with his name in sparkly bubble letters on it). He slung the backpack over his shoulder, a large smile on his face. “Jerome, what in god’s name are you-”

“I’m leaving!” Jerome cut his mother off. “I’m leaving you and your drunken lovers. You won’t have to worry about little Jerome anymore, the boy who almost killed his brother, the boy who you call fucking insane and crazy!” 

Lila grabbed Jerome’s shoulder. “You’re not going anywhere. You shouldn’t even be allowed in the public world. You’re stayin’ here.” 

“Lila, Lila, Lila! I thought you wanted me gone! Everyone in this run down hell hole wants me gone. I figured I’d bring Christmas early!” Jerome exclaims. You can see his face grow red, anger flowing through his entire body. You back away. You knew that Jerome had a temper (He’d often get mad if someone looked at you the wrong way or something didn’t work out in his favor), but this was a whole new level. 

“You’re fucking twisted.” Lila said. “Now, get your fucking girl out of here.” 

“I’m going with her, I’m going with [Y/N] and there’s nothing you can do about it.” Jerome declares. Jerome throws his backpack at you, you catching it for him. He huffs off, going back into his room to find something. He comes back with a large ax. He grins evilly, laughing like a crazy lunatic, a psychopath. Lila looks on with shock, not sure if her son could even be capable or doing anything like this. “Dollface, close your eyes, cause Mama is going to sleep.” 

Jerome swings the ax down, the blade landing right on Lila’s throat, which kills her instantly. Jerome keeps swinging, laughing as he does. You couldn’t believe it. Your boyfriend was murdering his mother and laughing about it. You soon took his advice, closing your eyes as you allow Jerome to do such horrible things.

After a few minutes, Jerome finally stops. You open your eyes, seeing your dear Jerome covered in blood. He drops the ax, using his sleeve to wipe the blood off his face. “That was a rush!” 

“Jerome…” You whimper. 

Jerome sighed. “Sorry you had to see that. Now tonight is truly my favorite night.” Jerome grabs you by the wrist, pulling you towards his mother’s old bedroom. “Come on [Y/N], let’s celebrate this new freedom.” 


	4. Chapter 4

Jerome had pushed you into his mother’s bed. Of course you and him had fooled around before, but it was never anything like this. It wasn’t full on love making. You couldn’t believe that Jerome wanted to do this with his mother’s bleeding corpse in the other room, but he was smirking down at you, how he just hovered over you. You couldn’t help but find it so...attractive. It was so odd. 

“You wanna do this dollface?” Jerome asks you. 

“J, your mom…” You say.

Jerome laughs. “What, you scared she’s gotta get up and stop us? I made sure that wouldn’t happen.”

“You’re so strange, Jerome Valeska.” You say. 

“And you’re so wonderful, [Y/N][L/N].” Jerome adds. He leans down, kissing you gently. “You never answered me. So, you wanna do this?”

You think for a moment. You had always wondered what Jerome was like in bed, but then again he had just committed a crime. But you were glad his mother was gone. She was an awful person and she hurt your Jerome. Of course he snapped. It had spent his entire life in her torture. You allow yourself to believe it was okay, and you smile brightly, a smile that Jerome takes as a yes. 

Jerome leans down. He places his hand behind your head, pulling you up to meet him. He kisses you gently, getting rougher as he continues. You run your hand through his hair, tugging on his ginger locks gently. Jerome moves down, leaving kisses down your neck. He finally finds that sweet spot, and you moan quietly. Jerome smiles against your neck, nipping at that spot harshly. As you two are pressed together, his mother’s blood smears everywhere. But you don’t care and you were sure that Jerome loved it. 

Your sexy time is cut short however, when a knock on the door sounded through the trailer. Jerome groaned. He sat up, rolling his eyes. “People, they are so rude.” You laugh. Jerome leaps up, running to the door. He took a breath, putting on his sad and nervous persona. You had to give it to him, Jerome was a terrific actor. 

Jerome opened the door a tiny bit, so only his head was sticking out the door. “Oh, h-hello Mr. Cicero.” Jerome said. You had heard about Mr. Cicero before. He was a blind fortune teller and was one of the only people in the circus that was someone nice to Jerome (Although Jerome wasn’t a big fan).

“I know what you did Jerome.” Mr. Cicero said. 

Jerome sighed, dropping his sad boy persona. “Yay, you and your magical talents figured it out. You gonna turn me in or something?” 

“I came here to help you.” Mr. Cicero said. 

“Wow, you truly are an oddball.” Jerome said. “What did you have in mind?” 

“I can help you get rid of Lila and the weapon, and help you clean up and escape.” Mr. Cicero said. “That’s what you want, right? To escape with [Y/N]?”

Jerome groaned loudly. “Alright, alright. Come in.” He reluctantly let Mr. Cicero in. You got up, standing in the doorway. You watched as Jerome showed off his handy work, telling Mr. Cicero all the details. He seemed to enjoy it, telling the story of his crime. 

“You first need to wash your clothes and wipe down anything covered in blood, and also change your clothes Jerome.” Mr. Cicero said. “Then I suggest you scratch out what the axe says. The Hell Fire Club could be a dead giveaway. Then, simply move Lila away. We can stage it so that she died in the circus but at someone else’s hand.”

Jerome laughed. “Have you done this before?” He asked. 

“I am trying to help you Jerome.” Mr. Cicero replied. 

Jerome nodded. “Alright, alright. [Y/N], could you be a dear and help me wipe this place down? I never realized how disgusting my mother smelled.”

You nod. “Sure J.” You carefully step around the crime scene, grabbing a few rags from the kitchen. Jerome sat down on a chair, trying his best to scratch out the markings on the axe. He gave up after a while, going to his room to change into some less bloody clothing. Jerome even grabbed you a few articles of clothing, since you were now covered in blood as well. Both you and Mr. Cicero wiped down every surface you could find that had any spec of blood. You couldn’t believe you were doing this, helping your loving boyfriend with his murder. But you loved Jerome, and you reasoned that he just snapped and this would never happen again. 

“Alright, beautiful!” Jerome declared. “Wow, for a blind man you can clean up well!”

“There’s still one proble,.” You point at Lila’s dead body. 

Jerome rolled his eyes. “Oh yeah, her. Mr. Cicero, do you mind lending me a helpful hand?”

Mr. Cicero nods. The two wrap Lila up in a blanket, disguising her as something that needed to be put with the props. You watched as the two carried Lila away, hiding her away. You take a moment to replay the events of the day. Jerome had murdered his own mother and you helped clean it up. You hoped that Jerome and Mr. Cicero knew what the hell they were doing. 

Jerome soon returned. He grabbed you by the hand, spinning you around. “Look at that! We are the perfect team!”

“I guess so.” You say. 

“Now, do you promise to help me out, dollface?” Jerome asks you. “Well, lie to the police and stuff.”

You nod. You knew you were in too deep to say no, and you hoped that there was a way for Jerome to get out of this. You still wanted the perfect life with him, and you allowed yourself to have it. “Of course J, I love you.” 

“I love you too.” Jerome said. “Now, how about we move me into that new apartment of ours?” 


	5. Chapter 5

The rest of the day is spent moving Jerome’s stuff into your new apartment. (You simply took the things from Jerome’s circus trailer, since no one would be using it now). You couldn’t help but notice how free Jerome seemed. He kept dancing around, laughing and giggling like a schoolgirl. He had finally got rid of the worst thing in his life, and he was proud about it. He was even prouder that he did it himself. You let Jerome dance around. You didn’t want to ruin the fun. 

But you couldn’t stop thinking about it, the murder. You had never seen Jerome look so evil, so filled with anger and rage. You never knew that side existed. But everyone has a darkside, even you. And you figured that your dark side was going to show soon and Jerome was going to bring it out. You had already helped him cover up a murder, and you figured it would escolate from there. 

You both had to make one more final trip back to the circus to pick up a few things, a few items of Jerome’s that he had left behind. When you both arrived, the police were there. They were scattered all around the circus and no one could avoid them. “Oh fuck me in the ass with a chainsaw.” Jerome mumbled. He parked the car, sighing. He put his worried face before leaving the car, you right behind him. 

“Are you Jerome Valeska?” One of the police officers asked.

Jerome nodded. “Yeah, I am sir. What happened?”

“I’m Detective James Gordon, and I’m sorry to say this but your mother...she’s been killed.” The detective said. 

You couldn’t believe how good of an actor Jerome was. (He truly deserved an Oscar). He fell to his knees, crying on command. He sobbed into the dirt, whispering “why” over and over again. You kneel down beside him, rubbing his back and holding him tight. You whispered “it’s going to be okay” to him, playing the role of supportive girlfriend. 

“I know this is a fresh wound for you, but I need to get a story from you.” Jim said. 

Jerome nodded. He stood back up, you following suit. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve, holding you close to him. “Well, I spent the day with my girlfriend, [Y/N]. I was moving my stuff into our apartment. We came here back and forth to get my things. I did get into a fight with my mother, but who doesn’t fight with their family?” 

“It’s true. I saw their fight. It was a heated argument.” You add. “She wasn’t in her trailer sometimes when we were getting stuff, but we just assumed she was busy.”

Jerome nodded. “Yeah, and nothing seemed amiss. I just can’t believe someone would do this.” Jerome leans against your shoulder, crying once more. You rub his back once more. You kiss his forehead. You almost believed your performance if you didn’t know the truth. 

“Well, I’ll give you both the night to settle in. I know losing a parent is hard. Can you both stop by the GCPD tomorrow?” Jim asks you both. 

“Yes, we can.” You answer for both you and Jerome. 

Jim nods. “I am sorry for your loss Jerome.” 

Jerome perks his head back up. “T-Thank you Detective.” He sniffs. Jim gives him a pat on the shoulder, before leaving you both. You take Jerome to the trailer, both of you still putting on the sorrowful act. 

Once inside the trailer, Jerome smiles again. He gives you a long and passionate kiss, before breaking off. He goes off to collect the rest of his belongings, putting them in a large box labeled “Jerome’s Things” in pink glitter paint. You can’t help but laugh. He smiles too. He kisses your forehead. 

“Let me take the box. It won’t make sense for you to carry it while you’re grieving your mother.” You say. 

Jerome smiles, “Ah, you are a smart one.” He uses his finger to tap your nose. You giggle. He hands the box over to you. “Alright, now it’s time for yet another award winning performance.” You smile. 

You and Jerome leave the trailer once more. You watch as the circus performers broke out into fights, the entire circus descending into chaos. Jerome was truly the match that lit the flame, and you were the oxygen keeping it going. But a part of you didn’t care. Some of the officers looked at Jerome, whispering about him. You even saw Mr. Cicero “looking” in your direction. You place the box in the car, and you and Jerome drive off. You both leave the chaos behind. 

“Did you see that? The chaos I caused?” Jerome asks. He laughs as he drives. 

You nod. “I guess you have a with people I guess. People like to follow in your footsteps.” 

Jerome hummed. “What else?”

“Well, you’re good at acting, very good at magic tricks and comedy, and devilishly handsome.” You say. 

Jerome purrs. “God I love ya dollface.” 

“I love you too J.” You reply. You lean over, kissing Jerome on the cheek. He smiles, letting out a goofy wolf howl. You laugh. Although he was crazy, he was perfect. And there wasn’t anything you wouldn’t do for him. 


	6. Chapter 6

When you and Jerome arrived at the GCPD, all you could see was a sea of circus performers, still in their costumes, all being interrogated by police officers. It was a true shit show. Jerome stood nervously, holding your hand tightly. He looked around like a lost kid, trying to find his mother. Jim Gordon rushed up to the two of you, a smile on his face. 

“Glad to see you both made it.” Jim said. “I’ll talk to Jerome first, then to you [Y/N]. Follow me.” Jim sits you down outside the interview room. You kept peering in, seeing how calm and collected Jerome was. He seemed so innocent, like a small child. But you knew the horrible thing he had done. He took a life from this world. But you kept telling yourself that his mother was cruel, abusive, and Jerome was simply getting back for years of torture. 

You listened carefully, quietly hearing what Jim and Jerome were discussing. 

“Tell me about your mother, Jerome.” Jim asks.

“She’s my mother. What can I say, I love her.” Jerome sniffed. You were definitely getting him an award for the greatest actor. He looked so sad, so convincing. “Not a very good cook, but otherwise she’s perfect.” Jim laughed at that. 

“Did she have any enemies, someone with a grudge?” Jim asks. Jerome shakes his head. “Boyfriends?”

Jerome shakes his head again. “She had lovers. She wasn’t very into commitment.”

“Do you know their names?” Jim asks. 

Again, Jerome shook his head. “I-I can’t put a name to them. I’m sorry.” 

“And how did you feel about that Jerome? Your mother’s love life?” Jim asks. 

“I feel fine about it.” Jerome replies. You knew he hated it. It is one of the things he complained about most of the time, how his mother would spend her time with nameless men who later abused him. “Without my mother’s love life I wouldn’t be here now would I?” 

“Do you have any other family?” Jim asks. 

Jerome nods. “I consider my girlfriend, my [Y/N], my family. We just moved into an apartment together yesterday. She’s so gracious to allow me to live with her. Of course, this all happened after she offered me a key.” Your heart flutters when Jerome talks sweet about you. 

“How long have you known her?” Jim asks.

“I met her when I was a little kid, I don’t exactly remember. But we started dating about two years ago. These last two years have been so wonderful.” Jerome says.

“Would she do anything to your mother?” Jim asks.

“Of course not! [Y/N] has been my rock through this entire time. She’s such a gentle soul. She would never hurt anyone or anything.” Jerome says. “She’s a angel, simply put.” 

Jim nods. “Thank you Jerome. That’ll be all for now.” 

Jim lets Jerome leave. He sits down beside you, pulling you into a hug. You kiss him gently, brushing his hair back. He smiles at you sweetly, kissing your cheek gently. Jim hovers over the two of you and smiles. There’s just something about young love that makes everyone happy. 

“Alright [Y/N], your turn.” Jim says. 

You give Jerome one last kiss before you enter the interview room. Jerome watches you, a sad smile on his face. He knew you would go along with him, and you convinced yourself that you would too. Jim sits you down, pulling out his notes.

“So, you and Jerome are dating?” Jim asks.

You nod. “We have been for two years, but we’ve known each other longer than that.”

“Is Jerome nice, a good partner?” Jim asks. 

“Yes. He’s the sweetest boy I know. He’s very caring, very loving. He always wants to pamper me in gifts and love. He always lights up when I compliment him or say nice things about him. He’s a gentle soul. He wouldn’t wish harm upon others.” You say. 

“Do you know his relationship with his mother?” Jim asks.

You sigh. “Yeah. J’s mother wasn’t always the nicest to him. She was often mean to him, and some of her lovers abused him. But he always loved her.” It was strange to lie. Well, you weren’t really lying. His mother was cruel, but Jerome never loved her. You glance down, trying to hide your shame. But you had to admit, lying felt pretty good. 

“Was his mother ever mean to you?” Jim asks.

“I only met her a few times, but for the most part she was civil. I overheard her say some...cruel things about me to Jerome, maybe once or twice, but she never said anything to my face. I just assumed she was frustrated and sad that her baby was leaving the circus.” You explain. 

“Would Jerome hurt anyone?” Jim asks. 

“Of course not! He can barely kill a spider.” You say. “He’s a gentle and sweet man, rare to find these days.”

Jim nods. “Jerome wouldn’t keep anything from you, right?”

You shake your head. “Jerome spills his entire heart and soul out to me. There are no secrets between us. I can assure you, there’s nothing he’s hiding. He would have told me or you.” 

“Alright, I guess we’re done then.” Jim stands up, you following him. Jerome gets up and holds you tightly, kissing your forehead. You hold him back, snuggling up against his side. 

“Is there anything else you need, detective Gordon?” Jerome asks.

Jim shakes his head. “No. I’ll call you back down to the police station if I need the both of you again. You both can leave.”

“Thank you.” You said. 

“I hope your search goes well. I hope you can find the man soon.” Jerome says. 

“Yeah, I hope so too.” Jim says. 

You and Jerome leave, holding one another as you watch back to your car. Once you both had driven off, Jerome let out his classic laugh. He hit the steering wheel a few times, rolling the memory of the interviews in his head. You even let a smirk form on your lips. 

“He believed it!” Jerome laughs. “Jimbo believed my bullshit!”

You smile. “Of course, you’re adorable.” You pinch his cheek. Jerome purrs. “And I covered for you, don’t worry J.”

“Oh, you are simply the BEST!” Jerome smiles. He leans over, kissing your cheek. “We are the perfect team.”

“Like Bonnie and Clyde?” You ask. 

“Even better than that!” Jerome exclaims. “They died at the end, but we’re gonna live forever!” 

You smile. You both share one more kiss before turning into your apartment complex. This was your life now, and you loved it. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things get a little smutty, so I marked the section with it with this (***), so that's where it is. Also thanks for all the support! You guys seem to be enjoying this and it makes me happy! More will come soon!

Once you both had entered your apartment, Jerome swept you off your feet. He carried you around the apartment bridal style. You laugh, wrapping your arms around his neck. He carries you to the bedroom, laying you down. He crawls on top of you, Jerome stratilling your waist. He smiles like the devil, a small laugh leaving his lips. 

“You wanna continue where we left off yesterday?” Jerome asks. 

“Maybe...But I might need some convincing.” You say.

Jerome huffed. “You make things no fun.” He leans down, kissing you with the passion of 1,000 men. You kiss him back, your hand reaching up to play with his ginger locks. He smiles, biting your lip gently. He pulls away for a moment, a smile on his face. “Do I have to be more convincing?” 

“Maybe…” You say. 

“Oh [Y/N], you’re bad.” Jerome growls. He finds the sweet spot on your neck, biting and sucking on it gently. You whimper, allowing yourself to give in. “Alright, now can we get to the fun stuff?” 

You nod. “Sure thing J.”

***

Jerome howls happily. He starts to slip off his clothes as quickly as he could. You helped him when he got stuck a few times (He mainly had trouble with his sweater, which he didn’t fully unzip before taking off). Jerome soon was shirtless, hovering above you. For such a “shy” and “nerdy” boy, he had a body that was sculpted by Aphrodite herself. 

“You likey?” Jerome asks. You nod. “Alright dollface, your turn.” 

Jerome starts taking off your clothes, being very delicate with you. As he disrobed you, he carefully left kisses and small hickies on your now exposed skin. But as he went on, you noticed Jerome’s desire growing. He finally snapped. He managed to tear your bra in half by simply pulling on the front of it. You gasp, laughing a bit. Jerome leaned back down, playing with your breasts as he kissed you. You moaned into his mouth, which Jerome shuttered at. You could feel his crotch on your stomach, his member growing harder and harder the more he played with your body. You raise his head so you can look into his eyes. Jerome’s beautiful green eyes had darkened in color, filled with desire and lust. 

“J, I think we should head onto the finale.” You say. Jerome understands completely. 

“I guess it is rather hard now...Alright dollface.” Jerome leans down, kissing you roughly. You keep one hand on his face, your other hand reaching down to help him unbuckle his belt and unzip his pants. Jerome’s other hand pulled down your bottoms, rubbing you through your underwear. You stop for a moment, just allowing yourself to enjoy the pleasure Jerome was giving you. Jerome laughs. 

“You are really enjoying this, huh?” 

“Y-Yeah.” You reply. “J please, I need you.” 

Jerome nods, biting his lip. He slips his pants and underwear off in one swoop, his member flying out. You smile, reaching out to stroke it for a few seconds. Jerome smiles. In whole swoop he takes the rest of your clothes off. He leans down, sticking his face between your legs and kissing your entrance. You moan, shoving his face into you. Jerome laughs. He sticks his head up, resting his chin on your stomach. 

“I know that feels good, but I know something that’ll feel way better.” Jerome laughs, letting his evil cackle shine through. Jerome grabs you by the thighs, pulling you closer to him. He aligns his member with your entrance, and he slowly enters you. You let out a large moan, moving around so you can get filled with Jerome. “So impatient!” He fake fusses. You laugh. 

“Move, J.” You instruct. Jerome nods. He starts to thrust into you. And that was your world for what seemed like forever, your boyfriend making sweet love to you. You let him manipulate your body. Jerome swings one of your legs over his shoulder so he can get deeper, and you simply scream at how good it felt.

You weren’t sure how long it lasted, since you were in pure heaven at the time. Time didn’t matter, only Jerome. He went faster, you screaming his name. Jerome laughed each time you did so, begging you to say it more in a deep and husky voice. Soon your pussy grew tight, and you could feel tension in your core. You were close. 

“J...I’m gonna-” Jerome hushes you, leaning down to kiss you. He nods, going even faster than you thought was humanly possible. After a few seconds, you finally let go. Jerome whimpers, thrusting a few more times before finishing inside you. You didn’t care about the risk, you loved him. Both of you panted, recovering from the intense pleasure you both had just had. 

***

Jerome collapses on top of you. You laugh, kissing his sweaty forehead. You study him for a moment. He was quite handsome covered in sweat, and his perfectly slicked back hair was now a mop on his head. You ruffle his hair, Jerome groaning at the action. He soon rolls over, pulling the covers over the both of you. You laugh, snuggling into his chest. Jerome holds you tight, leaving kisses on the top of your head. You weaky kiss his neck, feeling tired and sleepy from the whole wonderful ordeal.

“You were good.” Jerome says. “Fuck, that was fantastic.”

You smile. “It was J. The perfect celebration of getting away with murder, I think.” Jerome laughs. 

“Oh, my dear [Y/N], I love you.” Jerome says. “Never leave me, ‘kay?” 

You nod. “I won’t Jerome.” 

Jerome smiles. “Perfect. Hey [Y/N], can I steal a TV for us?” You laugh. “I’m serious. We could have one in the bedroom, watch sexy movies, or cuddle.” 

“I’m so surprised you mentioned cuddling.” You say. You didn’t think this “new” Jerome was the cuddle type.

“Oh, I am full of surprises.” Jerome moves his hands to your sides, tickling you. You laugh, smacking his arms. Jerome stops after a few moments, pulling you closer to his chest. You wrap your arms around him, slowly falling asleep. 

“I won’t let anything happen to you.” Jerome promises. The last thing you remember is Jerome petting your hair before you fell asleep. 


	8. Chapter 8

All good things must end, but you always assumed that Jerome would never leave you. You both had assumed he had gotten away with everything, that he was free to live his life with you. But again, all good things must end. 

You and Jerome were in your shared bed, holding one another as you both tried to drift off to sleep. (After your nap, Jerome prepared dinner and you both had another round of love making). You were listening to Jerome ramble about his TV idea, which he hadn’t dropped, when the phone rang. You were quick to grab it. You almost dropped it when you saw who it was.

“What is it?” Jerome asks.

“The GCPD.” You say. 

Jerome’s eyes widen. He watches intently as you answer the phone call. 

“Hey [Y/N], it’s Jim Gordon. We think we found who killed Jerome’s mother. Can you both stop by tomorrow so we can talk?” 

You nod. “Yeah sure, of course we will.” 

“Great. See you both tomorrow.” Jim said. He hung up. You drop your phone in the bed, tears starting to fall from your eyes. Jerome went on the defensive, grabbing you and gently rubbing your back. 

“What is it?” Jerome asks. 

“They found who killed your mom.” You say. “Oh Jesus J, what if they say it’s you?” 

Jerome shushes you. “Cops are stupid. They probably blamed one of the Grayson boys. It’ll be alright dollface, nothing is going to take me away from you.” Jerome assures. 

“Holy fuck Jerome…” You whisper. 

“Shhh, I promise it’s all going to be okay.” Jerome said. “Now sleep, and we’ll be together tomorrow, and the day after that too, forever.” 

You nod. You allow yourself to drift off to sleep yet again in Jerome’s arms. Jerome Valeska was actually nervous for the first time in his life. 

You take Jerome back to the GCPD the next morning. You noticed how nervous he was and that he wasn’t acting. You squeezed his hand, giving him a kiss. He smiles, pulling you into a hug. You stand in the middle of the GCPD, hugging each other like the young fools you are. Neither of you were sure if you’d ever see one another again. You just continued to hold one another, Jerome peppering your head in as many kisses he could. 

“Jerome?” Jim says.

You and Jerome reluctantly let each other go. Jerome walks over to the detective. “H-Hello sir.”

“I’m glad you’re both here. Follow me, the both of you.” Jim says. He leads you back into the interview room. You can feel your heart stop when you see Mr. Cicero sitting down at the table, and you can feel Jerome grow even more nervous. Joining Jim was another woman, someone you recognized from the circus the night Jerome killed his mother. Jim pushes Jerome away from you, guiding him to a seat next to Mr. Cicero. The woman grabs your shoulder gently, a warm smile on her face. 

“Hello, I’m Lee. I work with Detective Gordon. Why don’t you stand by me?” Lee offers. You nod, not sure what else to do. 

“Hello Mr. Cicero.” Jerome says to the fortune teller.

“Hello Jerome, [Y/N].” Mr. Cicero replies. Before you can speak, Jim starts his speal. 

“Jerome, do you know why you’re here?” Jim asks. 

“Did you find who killed my mother?” Jerome asks. 

“You killed her Jerome.” Jim says. 

Your worst fear had come true. You felt tears fall from your eyes. Lee rubs your back supportively, but that didn’t help. Your Jerome was going to be taken from you. You just hoped that Jerome could wiggle his way out. 

“S-Sir, that’s crazy. I would never. And that’s-”

Jim cut Jerome off. “Jerome, you killed your mother in your trailer and Mr. Cicero helped you clean up.” Jim said. Jerome simply sat there shocked, mouth agape, a few tears running down his cheeks. “But what I don’t understand is why Mr. Cicero risked so much to help you. I believe he’s your father.” 

“But J’s father died at sea.” You say. 

“Yes, [Y/N] is right.” Jerome adds. “His name was Sven Carlson, and he was a sea captain. He died at sea.”

“What ship was he on?” Jim asks. 

“I don’t know, he was on many.” Jerome replies. 

“The one he died in.” 

“My mother never told me.” 

“Well, we can do a blood test right here. It should only take 30 minutes, right Ms. Thompki ?” Jim looks over at Lee. You gulp. 

“Oh, yes. That’s right.” Lee says. 

“Oh I do hate needles.” Mr. Cicero says. He touches Jerome’s shoulder. “I’m sorry Jerome, but Detective Gordon is right. I am your father.”

Jerome looks around, scared out of his mind. He looks at you for a few moments, and you simply shrug, not sure what else to do. Jerome looks back at Mr. Cicero - his father. “What are you talking about?” 

“I am your father.” Mr. Cicero repeats. 

“No, my mother would never-” Jerome defends. You can tell he was being completely honest, so shocked and horrified. You didn’t think Mr. Cicero was a horrible man, but Jerome never talked about him. 

“You must have suspected something at one point. Your mother was often cruel and unkind to me, but there was once a time where she loved me like you love [Y/N].” Mr. Cicero says. Jerome looks away and you can see him shaking. “And she loved you so much Jerome, so that’s why she gave you a better father.”

Jerome titled his head down, letting a few tears drop from his eyes before he started to cackle. Your eyes widen and you see Jerome give in. He finally threw his head back, seeing his devilish and sexy smile on his face. Lee grabs both of your shoulders, pulling you back. You weren’t afraid. You knew this Jerome and you knew he wouldn’t hurt you.

“My mother was a cruel whote who never loved anyone. Do you think she’d ever love an old creep like you?” Jerome says. “And even if she did, you both never had what [Y/N] and I have.” 

“Do you think I was nice to you all these years because I was a kind man? If I wasn’t your father, why did I help you after what you did?” Mr. Cicero reasons. 

“Figured you were going insane!” Jerome says. He laughs, cracking up at his own joke. When no one laughed, he went cold. “Really, no one laughed.” Jerome rolls his eyes. “None of you know comedy.” 

“Why did you kill your mother, Jerome?” Jim asks. 

“Well, you know how mothers are. She just kept pushing. Ya know, I let her be a whore, a drunken whore even, but not a nagging drunken whore. Don’t you dare tell me to do the dishes when you were fucking a lousy drunk in the other room!” Jerome slammed his hands on the table, real rage flowing through him. “Not to mention she hated [Y/N], even though she’s the sweetest little cupcake.”

“Jerome, you’re under arrest for the murder of Lila Valeska.” Jim said. He had heard enough. “Lee, escort [Y/N] out.” 

You break free from Lee, rushing towards Jerome. You hug him, him hugging you back. He held you tight, not wanting to let you go. “Just a minor set back, I’ll be out in no time.” Jerome assured you. But you doubted his words. 

Lee was able to pry you away from Jerome, your lover. He jumped up to give you only finally kiss goodbye. Jim grabbed Jerome’s arms, handcuffing him as he kissed you. Jim soon dragged Jerome, the young man screaming back at you. 

“I’ll be home soon dollface! Keep the bed warm for me!” Jerome laughed, throwing his head back like he was enjoying the entire ordeal. You could only watch as Jerome was dragged off, your lips still tingling from Jerome’s final kiss. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This might not be the best, sorries

It was all over the news: “Jerome Valeska Arrested For The Murder of Lila Valeska” or even “Teen Boy Kills Own Mother”. Your Jerome had been thrown into Arkham with the baddest of the bad. He was, temporarily, out of your life. Your apartment felt empty. Jerome had only been there for a few days but he had left an impact on this apartment. The bed you shared felt colder, all of his stuff was still in it’s boxes just waiting to be opened, his diary still on the kitchen table where he wrote in it this morning. You had him for what seemed like moments, and now he was gone. 

You had been receiving calls and voicemails from everyone you knew. They all said the same thing: “Is this the same Jerome Valeska you’ve been dating?”. You didn’t reply, you didn’t want to. Jerome was more than the grinning maniac they depicted him to be on tv. But you knew that they would never see what you saw in him. You didn’t want anyone else but Jerome. (You also didn’t want to get called crazy by your parents). 

You weren’t sure what to do. After a long while of thinking, you decided to unpack all of Jerome’s things, just so the apartment doesn’t look like a mess. You wanted it to feel like home, like Jerome was just gone for the day and he’d be back before you knew it. Maybe he would. Maybe he’d get out of Arkham soon, declared sane. You knew he was a good actor, maybe he can act his way out of this. What were you thinking? Jerome finally broke. You just hoped that you could see him once more. 

You spend the next few days unpacking Jerome’s things and decorating the apartment with them. You place his clothing in his own dresser and your shared closet, putting the few nic nacs and objects Jerome had brought with him. You find that first deck of cards he used (Your prized Joker card came from the same deck), some photos from his different travels, and many of the two of you. But you found something peculiar: It was a clown doll. It was dressed in a green and purple suit, with green hair and a large red smile. You giggled, seeing this childhood toy of Jerome’s. He was always the joker. You place it on Jerome’s side of the bed, just to keep you company. 

You really did miss him, and he missed you too. 

Once he had left your sights, Jerome became more quiet. He of course kept his showmanship up, impressing and charming the officers and guards at Arkham. But once he was out of the spotlight, hidden away in his cell and dressed in his Arkham clothing, he turned it all off. He just sat in the corner of his room, thinking about you. He figured everything would be fine, but he never realized his bastard father would spill the beans. He figured he’d start a life with you. He’d steal a TV for the two of you, first and foremost. And that’s really all he had time to plan, but he figured he had a while of rotting away in his cell to think about his life. He wanted children, a beautiful and happy life with all the money in the world. 

Jerome had fucked it up. But, he was happy that his mother was gone. He had hated him ever since she left her womb, ever since he believed his brother’s lies about what Jerome had done, after the years of abuse he had to suffer through. And if Jerome didn’t kill her, it was going to someone else. To him, the crime was justified but he was sure “normal” people wouldn’t agree. But he didn’t care what the “normal” people thought. He only cared about you. 

The first night was the worst. Jerome had plans to cook for you tonight, make all of your favorites as a celebration for getting away with the crime. But of course you had to get take out and he was stuck eating prison food. Jerome kept wanting to roll over in bed, just to see you beside him. He wanted to hold you while he fell asleep, make love to you, simply love you. But he was stuck on the smallest bed in the world, and you were in bed all alone without him. 

This all was pure hell, and Jerome Valeska was going to find a way out of it. He was determined too. 


	10. Chapter 10

You were terrified when you got a letter from Arkham. You were horrified that something happened to Jerome, or he got into more trouble. You were quick to open the letter, hoping for the best but knowing it was probably the worst. You quickly glance over the letter, and you couldn’t help but smile. 

You were approved to see Jerome. The letter said you could see him once a week, and you couldn’t be more excited. You were able to see him. Even though it would only be for thirty minutes and only once in a week, it was still something. Something is always better than nothing. 

It was strange showing up to Arkham. You never thought that Jerome would end up here. But life always throws curveballs. You hold your breath, entering the facility. You looked around, seeing how creepy and run down Arkham was. You couldn’t believe Jerome was living in this dump. You were sure the building was violating a few codes and laws. 

“May I help you?” 

You look at the secretary. You rush over, a smile on your face. The secretary looked at you like you’re crazy, so you tone it down. But you were excited to see Jerome, you couldn’t contain your excitement. 

“Yes, I’m here to visit someone.” You say. 

“Name?” The secretary asks. 

“Jerome Valeska.” You say. 

The secretary types in the name. She hums, looking at the creepy head shot Jerome had. “You must be [Y/N] [L/N] then.” You nod. “You are the only person he has allowed to visit him. That’s quite the honor.” 

“He has often told me I mean a lot to him.” You say.

“Let me get everything set up, wait a moment.” The secretary said. You seem like you were waiting there forever, rocking back and forth on your feet. Soon a guard walked up to you. You smiled. He led you around the building, guiding you to the visitors wing. You look through one of the windows, seeing your ginger prince sitting there. The guard opens the door, almost shoving you into the room. He shut the door, and thirty minutes of pure heaven begain. 

Jerome was quick to hug you, kissing you sweetly. You smiled, running your hand through his ginger locks. He soon pulls away, looking at you with a sweet smile. 

“Hey gorgeous.” He says.

“Hey Jerome.” You reply. 

“I have fucking missed you.” Jerome says. “It’s so lonely and boring in here.”

You smile. “Sorry J.”

“At least I get to see you.” Jerome says. “Anyways, how’s life treatin’ ya?”

You shrug. “Pretty okay. I unpacked all your things, and decorated the apartment.” 

Jerome smiles. “You’re too sweet dollface.” He pinches your cheek. You laugh, pushing him away jokingly. 

“You know, you look lovely in black and white.” You say. 

Jerome goffs jokingly. He twirls around, laughing like a schoolgirl. “Really? Am I the prettiest girl at the ball?”

You nod. “Yes you are Jerome. You’re probably the hottest person in here.” 

“Awwww.” Jerome smiles. “You’re absolutely right!” You laugh. Jerome was truly a master comedian. He leaps up onto the table, swinging his legs gently. “Everyone here is old or ugly...Or bad shit crazy!”

“Oh, and you’re the exception?” You ask.

Jerome nods. “Eh, I’m a unique specimen. I’m not totally crazy, and I’m quite handsome.” 

You laugh. You stand beside him, resting your head on his side. “Yeah, you are J.” 

Jerome scratches your head, humming an old circus song as you two just relax. This is what you both wanted your lives to be. Well, you still could have a part of that. Jerome looked down at you, taking in all of your beauty. He missed you so much, and he was so lucky to have you right now. 

“Do you still love me?” Jerome asks. 

Your heart sinks at his words. “Of course J, I still love you.” 

“Just makin’ sure.” Jerome said. “Have you gotten a tv for the bedroom yet?” 

You laugh. “I was sure you wanted to do that.” 

“Yup, still do.” Jerome says. You laugh. You look back up at Jerome, seeing his warm smile. 

“I hope your prison nickname is The Joker.” You say. “It fits you well.” 

Jerome purrs. “The Joker eh? Yeah, I can get behind that. I’ll suggest it next time I see the boys.” 

“Well, you’re welcome J.” You say. 

“I’d be nowhere without you.” He says. He leans down to kiss you, putting all the passion he could into it. You kiss back, not wanting this moment to end. He finally pulls away, taking a few breaths. 

“I’d be nowhere without you too, Jerome.” You say. You go back in for another kiss. You could feel Jerome smile, and that made you happy. 


	11. Chapter 11

This was the routine for a few months: Every sunday you went to go see Jerome. He managed to cram everything in within those thirty minutes: Snuggles, kisses, weird stories from the social room at Arkham. Everything he wanted to share with you he would. He of course would let you share your thoughts, but it wasn’t as interesting as a cannibal attempting to sword fight someone else with a fork at meal time. It was mean to laugh at the insane, but some of the things they did were so funny, and the way Jerome told those stories made it even better. 

But on one Sunday, everything changed. 

You woke up to your phone blowing up. You groaned, answering it without even looking at who was calling. “Hello?” You groan. 

“Hey [Y/N], this is Detective Jim Gordon.” You awake suddenly. You leap up in bed, panic flowing through your veins. “Last night, several Arkham inmates were broken out. One of them was Jerome.”

“Are you serious?” You ask. “I...I can’t believe it! Who did it?”

“We don’t know. I’ve already looked into your side of things, and everything checks out. Your talks with Jerome are normal and he mostly just talks the entire time.” You smile. That was your Jerome. “Anyways, if you hear or see Jerome anywhere, call it in. We figure since he’s your lover, he would come to you first.” 

“Okay Detective, I will.” You say. 

“Watch your back.” Jim said. He hung up. You sat in your bed in total shock. Jerome was out of Arkham? You squealed. Jerome could come back home, be with you again! Of course he was a convicted criminal and hiding him is a crime, but the risk was worth it. Your Jerome was back in the open, and you couldn’t wait to see him again. 

You went about your day, watching the news vilgently, trying to see if you could track Jerome. Jerome and the rest of the Arkham inmates were being very sneaky, hiding in the shadows. They were being very clever, and you had to give them credit for that. 

It was around lunchtime when you heard someone knocking on the window. You looked out, seeing Jerome’s smiling face peering at you. You quickly run to the window, letting your lover inside. Jerome leaped around, picking you up and kissing you. 

“Honey, I’m home!” Jerome called jokingly. 

You laugh. “Welcome home baby. I’m making lunch, want anything?” 

Jerome nods. “Oh hell yeah, I’m starvin’.” 

Jerome sits down at the kitchen table, and you hand him the sandwich you had made. He ate it fast, watching you make another sandwich for yourself. You were beautiful in his eyes, and he loved to see you work. You soon sit down with him, eating along with him. 

“Wow, this is so much better than the grub I was forced to eat.” Jerome said. 

“I believe you.” You say. 

“You did decorate. It looks nice.” Jerome says. 

“Thanks J.” You reply. “I tried to include some of your things too, make it more us.”

Jerome nodded. “You did a wonderful job, dollface.” He pinches your cheek, you smiling and blushing back. 

“Maybe you should change out of your Arkham clothes.” You suggest. “I mean, you are on the run.”

Jerome smiles. “Oh, you are SO smart!” Jerome leaped up, running off to the bedroom. You follow him. Jerome rumanges through your shared closet. Jerome threw things around, trying to find the perfect thing. You stood in the doorway, watching Jerome pull out his pajamas and a bathrobe. You watch him dress, a big smile on his face. “Good?”

You nod. “Very good. You are the master of lounging around.” 

Jerome smiles. He bows. “Thank you! Thank you!” 

You laugh. You step forward, hugging Jerome by the waist. He hugs you back, kissing your forehead gently. Neither of you wanted this moment to end. Jerome soon backed away, holding your face in his hands. 

“[Y/N], would you like to join me in taking over Gotham?” Jerome asks you. 

“Taking over Gotham?” You ask. 

Jerome nods. “Yup! The guy who got me and the boys out said that we’re gonna cleanse Gotham, make it better. But I have bigger plans. I wanna take over this goddamn city, and I want to do it with you by my side. So what do you say, [Y/N][L/N]. Do you want to join me? The Joker and his Queen.”

You smiled. “You kept the name.”

“Of course I did. It fits me perfectly.” Jerome said. “Sooooooo, is it a yes or a no?”

You were silent for a moment, before a big smile grew onto your face. Fuck it, you were already in too deap, why not go even deaper? “Yes, yes of course I will J!” 

Jerome smiles. “Pack your bags milady, we’re going to Theo Galivan’s!” 


	12. Chapter 12

You had heard about Theo Galvian, yet another billionaire who was running for mayor of Gotham. You knew Gotham was dark, but you didn’t expect Galvian to break criminals out of Arkham so he could wreak havoc on the city. But you were eternally grateful to him however, since he returned Jerome to you. 

You and Jerome were able to sneak into Theo Galvian’s place with ease. Jerome laughed once you got inside, dancing around like an idiot. He grabbed you by the wrist, dragging you around the place. 

“Welcome home, dollface!” Jerome exclaimed. 

“Ah Jerome, it’s nice to see you’ve returned to us.”

The two of you look in front of you, seeing Theo Galivan standing there. He looked so calm and posed. He wasn’t scared of the maniacs he had broken out and he didn’t seem mad at all that you were there. Galivan stepped forward, extending his hand out so you could shake it. You do so. 

“I’m Theo Galivan, and you must be the [Y/N][L/N] Jerome has been rambling on about.” Galivan says.

You nod. “It’s nice to meet you sir. Thank you for returning Jerome to me.” 

“You’re welcome my dear. Jerome has proven himself to be quite a valuable member, albeit a bit...Well, not informationaly inclined.” Galivan says. You smile. Jerome looks at the both of you confused. “He says you were the brains of the operation.”

“Well, I had a few ideas-”

“Don’t sell ya self short!” Jerome exclaims. He wraps his arm around you. “This little lady is one of the smartest people I know! She’s got a good brain in there.”

Galivan smiles. “Intelligence is always important with these operations. I regret that the men I’ve picked are not the brightest. You would be a wonderful addition, if you choose to join us.” 

You panic for a moment. Theo Galivan had offered you a position on his team of crazies, alongside Jerome of course. You couldn’t believe it! You didn’t know what to do. You could either become a criminal like your boyfriend or just be a witness just like before. You felt Jerome and Galivan’s eyes staring at you, looking for a response. 

“I...I’m not sure what to do yet.” You reply. 

Galivan takes that answer. “I’ll give you until tomorrow to decide. I believe you’d make a great addition, so does Jerome.” 

“‘Course I do! She’s my girl!” Jerome exclaims. He kisses your forehead lovingly. 

“Take our guest to her bedroom, will you Jerome?” Galivan requests. Jerome salutes at Galivan before dragging you off to your room, well Jerome’s room really. 

Jerome flops down on the bed, watching you place your stuff down. You soon join him, cuddling up against him. Jerome wraps his arms around you, holding you close to his chest. You had missed this, being in your boyfriend’s loving arms. He playfully bit your ear, and you laughed. 

“You know, I’m the leader.” Jerome says. 

You smile. “Congrats J.”

“You could be the co-leader?” Jerome offers. “Ah, the king and queen of our own little army. Wouldn’t that be cute?” 

You nod. “Yeah, I guess so. I still have to weigh my options though.” 

Jerome smiles. “You truly think of everything.” 

“Someone has to.” Jerome laughs at your remark. He kisses your head, pulling you closer. 

“How about after dinner, I fuck you senseless?” Jerome offers. 

You smile. “Maybe J, maybe.” 

“Don’t worry, I’ll change your mind.” Jerome promises. He kisses you again. You smile, kissing his neck in return. “I’m so glad that I have you back.” 

“I’m glad too J. I missed you so much.” You reply. 

“I missed you so much too.” Jerome says. He pulls you closer, resting his head on top of yours. “You’re mine forever, okay?” 

You nod. “Of course J, I always will be.” 

Outside the door, Galivan listened to your conversation. He did enjoy a young romance. He figured he’d let you do have your moment in the sun before he wound up killing you both. It was all a part of the plan, and Galivan was not the type of man to stray away from the plan. 


	13. Chapter 13

Jerome finally introduced you to the rest of his “friends”. You had heard about them from your visits to Arkham, but you had never seen them before. There was Greenwood, a crazed cannibal who was off putting and a little weird (Jerome was crazy too, but at least he was somewhat put together), Aaron, who was the muscle of the group, Arnold, who seemed like the sweetest and dorkiest guy, and Baraba, a posh woman who ignored everyone and simply hung out with her girlfriend Tabitha. It was a strange group, but you had to admit they all could wreak havoc on Gotham. 

Some of Galavan’s assistants served you all dinner. Everyone dived it, eating like they hadn’t eaten in years. Jerome laughed, cackling at how stupid his team was. He even had tears coming out of his eyes, he was laughing that much. 

“Jeez Greenwood, I feel sorry for whoever you ate.” Jerome jokes. 

“Oh, you worried you can’t eat your girl out like this?” Greenwood winks at you. Jerome wraps his arm around you, pulling you closer. 

“You stay away from her.” Jerome snaps. 

“Let the girl decide!” Greenwood exclaims. “Who do you wanna be with? The clown prince of crime or me, the handsomest man in the world?” 

“Shut the fuck up Greenwood!” Jerome stands, pulling a gun out from his bathrobe. Arnold screams, almost falling out of his chair. Aaron ignores the whole thing while Baraba smiles and claps at the gun play. You find it hot that Jerome would defend you like this, and you found a small smirk forming on your face. 

“Boys, boys, calm down.” Galavan enters the room, and amediantly the room calms down. Jerome sits back down, tucking the gun away. Galavan sits at the head of the table, looking at everyone with a cold yet welcoming stare. He finally looks at you and smiles. “[Y/N], I’m glad you are joining us.” 

“Thank you.” You reply. 

“Now, let’s get to business.” Galavan says. “We need to make our introduction, well make your introduction.”

“I thought we did that.” Jerome says. 

“What we did this morning was the overture.” Galavan explains. “Now the audience is hushed, and now the curtain rises…”

“Then what happens?” Jerome asks. You can see a devilish smile grow on his face. 

“Then we confront Gotham with their most primal fears. And we take what Gotham’s people hold dear to them.” Galavan places his hands on Jerome’s shoulders, rubbing them a bit. 

“And then what happens?” Jerome was smiling wider now, a dark gleam in his eyes. “Then we offer them salvation. And then they are ours.” 

“That sounds wonderful, doesn’t it?” Jerome asks you. You nod. You would love to see what Jerome would do with Gotham once he took it over. 

“Let’s get busy man.” Greenwood says. 

“Be patient, you gentlemen need to learn a little stagecraft.” Galavan says. The boys looked at Galavan like he was crazy, but the man wasn’t affected by it at all. (You were sure nothing phased him). “Barbara, [Y/N], help me judge them will you?” 

Barbara sighs. “Fine.” You nod as an answer. 

“You gentlemen need to learn how to present yourselves with style and vigor. You will be on TV.” Galavan says. “Arnold, say ‘good evening ladies and gentlemen’.”

“Good even ladies and gentlemen.” Arnold replies, although you can barely hear him since he mumbled it. 

“Speak up!” Barbara heckles. 

Galavan sighs. “You, Greenwood.” 

Greenwood puts his food down, licking his fingers before he proudly announces “Good evening ladies and gentlemen!” 

Barbara shrugs. “It was okay.” 

You see Jerome yawn, obviously bored by the performances. He was the true showman, nothing like the rest of them. Galavan finally turns his attention to Jerome. He gives a slight nod to him, and Jerome smiles once more. In a swift motion he hops up, standing on the very chair he was sitting in. He waves his hands around in the air, and you swoon at the very sight. 

“Ladies and gentlemen!” Jerome announces. He says silent for a moment, before finishing off the line with a sinister tone. “Good evening.”

You clap. Jerome bows, before taking his seat again. He leans over, kissing you passionately as his way of thanking you. You don’t hear what Galavan says, but you can tell it was something good based on the way Jerome smiled against your lips. 

You hear a scream, causing you to almost leap into Jerome’s arms. He laughs, holding you tightly. You look around, seeing Galavan’s sister, Tabitha, hitting a man with a box over his head in the back. Jerome laughs, enjoying the show. Barbara leaps up, kissing Tabitha’s cheek before she takes a turn at hitting the man. He falls over, the box on his head making a large thumping sound. Jerome laughs even more, and even Greenwood and Arnold join in on the fun (Aaron just sits there eating). 

“I’m glad to see you two getting along so well.” Galavan says. “But lets leave the poor mayor alone.” 

You look at Jerome, dumbfounded that Mayor James was the man inside the box. He nods as your reassurance. You couldn’t tell if this was all a dream anymore. It surely seemed like it. 

“I’m bored.” Tabitha says. 

“Why do the boys get to have all the fun?” Barbara asks. 

“Your time is coming. Just be patient.” Galavan says. “All of you have to be patient.” 

After dinner, Jerome carried you back to your shared room. You laughed the entire way, kissing Jerome’s neck playfully. Once you two are back in your room, he throws you down on the bed. His devilish smirk is back, and you know what he wants. 

“J…”

“You promised.” 

You laugh. “I said maybe.” 

“Well, I understood it as a promise.” Jerome leans down, leaving kisses on your neck. “And besides, I just got home didn’t I?”

“Fuck J, you always win me over.” You say. Jerome smiles, biting your neck before he perks up again. 

***

“Fuck foreplay, let’s just get right into the dirty stuff.” Jerome says. He sits up, removing his pajamas (Which he had worn all day) while he straddles your lap. “Ugggggh, you do NOT understand how much I wanna do this.” 

You reach up, rubbing his exposed chest. “J, I was without you too. I know very well what you need, and I’ll let you have it.” 

“You are wonderful doll.” Jerome says. He stumbles over as he takes off his pants and boxers, and you can’t help but laugh. Jerome soon collects himself, straddling you again. He was fully naked, and you had missed his body dearly. Jerome starts to take your clothes off, being gentle with you. You reach down, tugging on his cock. He groans as you stroke him, the poor boy having a difficult time taking off your clothes. 

“You like that, don’t you?” You tease. 

“Fuck yeah, keep doing it.” Jerome demands. You do so, tightening your grip and going a little faster. Jerome stops trying to take off your clothes, enjoying the pleasure you were giving him. You could feel him twitch and grow even harder in your hand. “Oh fuck [Y/N], that feels so good.” 

“Only the best for my Jerome.” You say. You use your free hand to rub his cheek. Jerome kisses your thumb. You can feel his hips start to thrust a bit, and you can tell he can’t handle it anymore. You stop. Jerome whines like a baby. He tries to move your hand back, but you resist. You push Jerome off you so you can take your clothes off. Jerome smiles, licking his lips as he watches you disrobe. 

Jerome grabs one of your breasts, kneading at it gently. You smile, running a hand through his hair. “Do you need me, baby?” 

“Yeah, I do.” You reply. 

“Well, we are gonna make up for all the time we missed.” Jerome says. He regains his control over the situation. He tackles you, laying you on your back. He throws your leg over his shoulders, lining up with your entrance. Jerome quickly slips in, starting to thrust right away. You moan, throwing your head back as you rock on Jerome’s cock. Jerome soon goes harder and harder, so needy. You could tell he was desperate for a release, any kind of pleasure. 

“Fuck J, you need this badly.” You say. 

“Yeah I do.” Jerome replies. He places his hand on your stomach, his thumb reaching down to rub your clit. You moan, gripping the bed sheets below you tight. “You’re gonna cum okay? Then I will, and then I’m gonna fucking take you from behind.”

“Okay J, as you wish.” You say. 

Jerome goes harder than ever before, slamming deeply into you like no one had ever done before. You feel your climax coming and before you can even comprehend that it’s there you cum on his cock. Jerome lasts a bit longer before he cums inside you. Jerome only takes seconds to relax from his climax before he positions you again. He flips you around, pulling you up so you are on your hands and knees. He slaps your ass a few times, watching it grow red. 

“Fuck, you’re good.” He whispers to you. And before you know it Jerome is back at it again. 

Jerome holds you by the hips, thrusting into harshly. You moan, allowing yourself to become Jerome’s little plaything. He wanted things a certain way and he was going to get it. One of his hands slides up, reaching your breasts and playing with them. You moan as he pinches your hard nipple, feeling small shocks of pleasure going through your body. Jerome’s hand soon slides up again, resting on your neck. He chokes you, not enough to cut off your air but enough that it’s pleasurable. You fell limp and weak in Jerome’s strong hands and you allow yourself to be lifted up. Jerome and you both are on your knees, Jerome fucking you still. You grab onto his thighs with great force, Jerome knowing full well you were leaving bruises. Your head rolled back onto his shoulder, and Jerome takes this moment to kiss you passionately. 

“Oh fuck. Your cum and mine all mixed together inside you, fuck it feels so good!” Jerome says. 

“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself J.” You say. You feel your core tighten once more. “J I’m gonna-”

“That’s it pretty girl, fucking cum for me.” Jerome whispers in your ear. 

After a few moments you unravel in his arms. Jerome places you back on your hands and knees, thrusting hard and fast into you before he cums again. You barely feel it. Everything seems numb and you were just in pure bliz. You were on cloud nine, Jerome shorting joining you. He rides his high before he grows weak. 

***

“Fuck yeah [Y/N]...That was so good.” Jerome says. 

“Yeah, it was amazing J.” You reply. 

You lay down, Jerome following right after you. Your sweaty bodies cuddle together, holding each other as your hearts and breathing slowed. Jerome kisses your forehead, pulling you closer to him. 

“Can we do this again tomorrow?” Jerome asks. 

You smile. “Sure thing.” 

You felt like something was wrong. You got the sense that something was a bit off. But you ignored it, since you assumed that it was strange to sleep with a convicted murder. He may be a murder, but he was the sweetest one there was. 


	14. Chapter 14

Galavan was happy to learn that you decided to join the group. Of course, we weren’t going to go out and commit crimes like Jerome and the boys (Galavan gave the now cliche “Your time is coming” speech to you), but you still were a part of the Maniax. Jerome couldn’t be happier. He had you, his queen, by his side. 

“This is gonna be great!” Jerome exclaims. “We’re gonna run this city!”

You smile. “Okay J, we will.” 

Jerome leans down, kissing you passionately. “Now, me and the boys gotta go set something on fire. I don’t know, it’s what the big man wants.” 

“Have fun, okay? And be safe.” You request. You rub his cheek softly. He kisses your thumb. 

“I promise dollface. I’ll come back fresh and good!” Jerome smiles. He kisses your cheek before running off. You smile, watching him and the rest of the Maniax run off in their matching uniforms. You could hear Jerome’s laugh, and that made you all warm inside. You did love him with all of your heart. 

You sat at the kitchen table, reading a book you had found and nursing a mug of coffee. You barely notice when Barbara sits beside you, resting her head on her hand ready to gossip. 

“So, you and Jerome eh?”

You nod. Barbara was excited about having another girl around, and of course she always tried to talk to you. You, of course, were polite to her and talked to her. But it could be a little much at times. But still, it was nice to have another woman around. 

“Yeah. We’ve been dating for years.”

“He’s cute...sort of.” Barbara says. “He can be a little...off putting, don’t you think?” 

You shrug. “He can be, but once you break his shell you can see he’s quite an amazing man.” 

Barbara nods. “So, you two have quite the sex life.” 

You gulped. Every night you and Jerome had made love. You were young lovers who had been separated for too long. You both needed each other. You knew that you both could be loud...and rowdy...and make a mess of everything, but you didn’t think you were disturbing the others. You stay silent, not sure how to respond. 

“It’s alright. You two can get it on as much as you want.” Barbara says. “I wish Jim would have treated me like Jerome treats you, but men are jerks sometimes.”

“Jim?” You ask. 

“Jim Gordon, the guy that threw your Jerome into Arkham.” Barbara says. “I did love him, but sometimes killing your parents makes you realize who you truly are.” 

You nod. “Jim seemed nice, the times I talked to him.” 

“He’s good at hiding things.” Barbara says. “But you’re lucky to have Jerome. He at least cares and doesn’t keep secrets from you.” 

You nod. “Yeah. The two of us are an open book. We tell each other everything.”

Barbara smiles. “So, when are you going to tell him that you’re pregnant?” 

Your eyes widen. You were so shocked that Barbara could say a thing like that. “I’m not pregnant.”

“You and Jerome don’t use condoms and you have been fucking every night.” Barbara said. She was right. Jerome never used a condom because he never had them on hand, and he had released inside you every night. Maybe Barbara was right...Maybe you were. You just sit there, internalizing the information. Barbara takes your coffee, sipping on it gently. “You shouldn’t drink caffeine. It’s not good for the baby.” 

“Babs, what if I am?” You ask. 

“The self proclaimed king and queen of Gotham have a prince.” Barbara jokes. “Don’t worry, I’ll help out. I’m sure none of those boys understand women.” 

You laugh. The male Maniax were sort of...Well not the brightest. “Thanks Babs.”

She smiles. “Anytime. Now no more coffee for you.” Barbara takes your mug with her. Once she leaves you, you sigh. You and Jerome always wanted to start a family, but was this the right time? Maybe Jerome would just leave you or want to get rid of the baby. No, you sure he wouldn’t, but a million thoughts raced around your mind. You weren’t sure what in the hell to do. You hoped that you weren’t, but the evidence was so great. Maybe you were...Maybe you were. 

You run back to you and Jerome’s room. Once inside you feel vomit rush into your throat. Maybe you were just panicking and your body had a physical reaction to it. You quickly deposit it into the toilet. You hoped it was just anxiety and nothing more. 

You spend the rest of the time Jerome was out reading, trying to distract your mind from the worst to come. It seemed like an eternity before Jerome came back. He was all sweaty, a horrible smell coming right off of him. He laughs as he picks you up from the bed, spinning you around in the air. 

“Haha! We did it! We stole a gas trunk and hopefully set those damn cheerleaders on fire!” Jerome says. “Oh dollface, I gotta tell you the whole story!”

“J, I...I think to tell you something first.” You say. Jerome’s smile fades. He looks at you like a worried puppy. “I might be pregnant.” 


	15. Chapter 15

Jerome says nothing for a bit. He just stands there, thinking. You look down at the floor, not sure what else to do. You simply waited for Jerome’s response. You hoped for the best but you feared you were going to get the worst. 

“That does make sense given our sexual history.” Jerome says. You smile. It was always so cute when Jerome was smart. Jerome raises your head with his fingers, making you look right into his green eyes. He was smiling. It wasn’t his crazed maniac smile, but a genuine one. “I can’t wait to see the little guy...if the little guy is in there.”

You smile. “Jerome, I was so scared you’d hate me...hate our maybe kid.”

“Are you kidding me [Y/N]? How many times have I told you I wanted an army of little mes?” You laugh. Jerome picks you up, spinning you around once more. “We’re gonna have a kid!”

“Maybe, if I am pregnant.” You say. 

“Right! Maybe!” Jerome says. He puts you back down. “Now, we just find out if you are actually caring a little soldier of chaos, or we are just paranoid and crazy!” 

You smile. “Okay J, good plan.” 

“Pregnancy you say.” 

The two of you turn to the doorway. Galavan was standing in the doorway, looking at the two of you. You couldn’t tell if Galavan was upset or fine. He was a master of hiding his true emotions. 

“Well, if you two are expecting then I have to say congratulations.” Galavan says. “But, this could throw a wrench into our plans.”

“How could it? I never leave.” You joke. Jerome laughs. 

“And a father has to be rough to protect his little guy.” Jerome says. “And the king and queen needs to produce some heirs at some point.” 

Galavan nods. “I see your points. But of course, we actually have to make sure you are pregnant. We need a definite answer. And you two should consider all of your options. We don’t want a baby getting in the way of things.”

“My baby won’t get in the way!” Jerome exclaims. “Father’s honor!” 

Galavan scoffs. Jerome loses his happy attitude, placing an arm around you and pulling you closer. You rest your head against his shoulder, both of you looking at Galavan with confused looks. 

“A baby can throw a wrench into any plan, throw us off course. Jerome, even bringing Ms. [Y/N] here threw a wrench into things. You have to think clearly if you want to lead this team.” Galavan explains. 

You grew angrier, but you couldn’t do anything. Jerome stepped forward before you could, stepping towards Galavan but still holding onto you, protecting you and a baby you didn’t know even existed. 

“I know what I’m doin’, and I know my dollface knows what she’s doin’. I know it sounds crazy, having a baby and taking over Gotham at the same time. But trust me, dear Theo, crazy is what I do.” Jerome smiles. He laughs, spinning around before placing a kiss on Galavan’s cheek. “Now, the Mrs. and I have to plan our honeymoon!” 

Jerome practically slammed the door in Galavan’s face. He spun around, smiling at you. You smile back, walking over to him and hugging him tightly. Jerome places kisses on your forehead, swaying a bit. 

“J, don’t you find Galavan-”

“A little creepy? Well yeah. He wants in on our family and that is no bueno.” You laugh at Jerome’s joke. “But in all seriousness, something that rarely happens, I’ll make sure nothing happens to you and the baby we might have.” 

You smile. “I believe you J. Nothing will ever happen to us, right?” 

Jerome shakes his head. “Never in a million years. Now pumpkin, let’s go find out if you’re pregnant. Stay here! I’ll go be a father!” 

Jerome runs off, still in his pajamas. He was such a goofball, your dear Jerome. You sat back down on the bed, reading a book to pass the time while Jerome was gone. But Galavan’s words rang into your mind, but in a different way. You and Jerome were young and he was currently on the run from the police. Could any of this work? Well, crazy was Jerome’s speciality. (He did just declare it right in front of you). 

Some time later, Jerome arrived. You laughed at the fact that he was still in his pajamas, but now he was covered in dirt and holding a gun like he had just robbed the place. He threw the bag at you, you laughing as you dug through. 

“Some pregnancy tests and some candy, for me. But I am willin’ to share.” Jerome leaps into bed, grabbing you and snuggling you close. “Now, go pee, let’s see if we have a little buddy!” 

Jerome practically pushes you off the bed. You rush off, grabbing the test and heading to the bathroom. You brace yourself as you take it, not sure what was the good news and what was the bad news. After you’re done you pace around, not sure what to do with yourself. You keep peering out into the main room, seeing Jerome laying on the bed snacking away. You knew that whatever happened, Jerome would be by your side. 

Soon the test was done. You pick up the test, and you couldn’t help but smile at the results. You walk out, handing Jerome the test. He laughs, leaping out of bed to hug you. He spins you around, a genuine smile on his face. You ruffle his hair, giggling too. 

“We’re gonna have a kid!” Jerome exclaims. 

“Yeah J, we’re gonna have a kid.” You say back. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo, the baby is another DC character that doesn't appear in Gotham, but is in the aftermath. Try and guess who it is, and if you get it right I'll give you a hug!


	16. Chapter 16

You sat with the rest of the Maniax in the living room, reading quietly while the boys played with their “new toys”. You weren’t sure how a famous man like Theo Galavan could get away with getting such weapons without detection, but you figured the man had his ways. He did break about six people out of Arkham after all. 

“Oooooh, what about this dollface? Ain’t it shiny?” Jerome asks. You look up, seeing him holding a samurai sword. Greenwood was quick to take it from him however. He swung it around for a bit, laughing as he played with it. Jerome sighed, rolling his eyes. You smile at how frustrated he was. “Give it back.” 

“I saw it first.” Greenwood replies. He keeps playing with the sword like a child. 

You can see Jerome getting even more frustrated, but he kept smiling like the semi patient showman he is. “No, you didn’t. I said, give it back.” Jerome puts his hand out, ready for Greenwood to plop the sword back into his hand. Of course, he didn’t.

Greenwood placed the tip of the sword next to Jerome’s neck. You gulp, already planning a world with a Jerome Jr. and no Jerome in it. Normally you would know that Jerome had this covered, but your motherly instincts wanted to protect both your baby and it’s father. 

“Make me, you little brat.” Greenwood retorts. 

“Boys, please.” You say, but your begging floats off into the air. Arnold laughs, “ooo”ing as Jerome reaches into another box of weapons. 

“Your samunri skills are excellent, Greenwood san, but they are nothing compared to me.” Jerome picks up a chain saw, pulling on the starter harshly. You watch as Jerome shows it off, smiling and laughing at Greenwood. “Prepare to die!” 

Both launch at one another, the metal blades of each weapon clashing and sparking against one another. You gasp, huddling up while you watch the two fight each other, not caring if they were going to kill each other. 

“That’s enough!” Galavan screams. Both boys put their weapons down. Jerome turns to you, winking. You nervously smile, throwing a thumbs up back. 

“I tried to stop them.” Arnold claims. You smiled at how silly he was.

“Boys.” Galavan placed his hands on both Jerome and Greenwood’s shoulders, pulling them closer together. “We don’t fight amongst ourselves, we’re a team.” 

“Yeah, we’re a team, boys.” Arnold says mockingly. 

“Yeah, and I’m the captain.” Greenwood replies. 

You see Jerome get angrier, and you knew he was going to snap at any moment. He just needed one little push, and you hoped to the heavens that Greenwood would just back off. Jerome lost his smile, dropping the turned off chainsaw at his feet. 

“Captain of my foot.” Jerome says. 

Greenwood snorts, shaking his head. As Greenwood talks, you can just see Jerome lose his patients and chill. “I’ve murdered a dozen women. I have terrorized this city. And what have you done? Chop up your mommy? Get a girl pregnant?” 

“You leave [Y/N] out of this.” Jerome snarls back. “And, for the record, everyone has to start somewhere. And, I have a vision, ambition, oh and brains. You’re just a nutty old cannibal. How many people can you eat before that act gets old?” There was Jerome’s crazy smile, right back on his face where it belonged. 

“I could eat one more, well I guess with what’s in her stomach it could count as two.” Greenwood says. 

Jerome snarls, and you know that comment was the final push Jerome needed to go crazy. You were so glad Galavan was holding him back. You still huddle down more, not scared but just disgusted that Greenwood would eat you. Out of all the cannibals in the world, it had to be him? You took a breath, knowing Jerome would probably “handle” the situation to the “best of his ability”, so either murder or a big beat down. You watch closely, committing every detail to memory. 

“Well, I guess we have to resolve this one once and for all.” Galvan says. He pulls out a revolver, and you immediately knew what was going to happen. Galvan dumped all the bullets out, but he placed one back inside the gun. You gulped, hoping that Jerome wouldn’t get a bullet in his head. “You all know this game, right?”

“I love it.” Jerome says. “Isn’t that right, sweetie?”

“I...I guess? J please think straight here!” You say. “T-The baby!”

“Ah, don’t worry about little ol’ me [Y/N]. I got this under control.” Jerome says. Galavan puts out the gun, waiting for someone to take it. “Ladies first.” Jerome says to Greenwood. 

Greenwood smirks. He cocks it, placing it against his head. Jerome just stands there smiling. Greenwood pulls the trigger, but nothing happens. Greenwood smiles proudly, shoving the gun right into Jerome’s chest. He takes it, fiddling with it for a moment, before starting his turn. 

“Hey Greenwood, what’s the secret to good comedy?” Jerome asks. He cocks the gun, placing it against his head. You gasp, holding your breath to see if Jerome's life was about to end. Jerome pulled the trigger, and of course nothing happened. “Timing.” You sigh in relief, but your moment of calm didn’t last long, as Jerome cocked the gun again and placed it against his cheek. “And what’s courage?” Another pull of the trigger, and again nothing happened. “Grace under pressure.” Jerome cocked the gun again. “And who’s the boss?” Jerome placed the gun right underneath his chin, and fired it once more. Nothing happened. “I’m the boss.” Jerome laughs, handing the gun back to a terrified Greenwood.

“I believe you are Jerome.” Galavan replies. He takes the gun away. 

Jerome bows to Galavan, before taking the sword back. Greenwood just stands there shocked. You get up, walking over to Jerome. He was giggling like a child, playing with his sword. You gently touch his arm, and he turns back to you. 

“Hey baby!” Jerome says. 

“You fucking scared me.” You say. “You can’t do shit like that. You could have died. What about the baby?” 

Jerome smiles. “Don’t worry about me or JJ, we’ll be fine.” 

“JJ?” You ask. 

“Oh yeah. It’s a nickname I came up for the little guy.” Jerome explains. “I mean, he’s gonna be Jerome Jr., right?”

“What if it’s a girl?” You ask. 

“Jeroma? Look, it doesn’t matter. What matters is I have control over this lov...Erm, group of men and we have a baby.” Jerome says. You laugh. You hug him, resting your head on his chest. He holds you back. “Don’t worry dollface, your man has everything covered.” 

“Now, I think it’s time for you to show your leadership skills Jerome.” Galavan says. “I have a job for you gentlemen.” 

“Oooh! Finally!” Jerome exclaims. He kisses your cheek, running off to stand next to Galavan. You sighed, deciding to leave the boys alone. You look back at them once more, not realizing that it would be the last time you would see Arnold alive. 


	17. Chapter 17

Jerome was a master storyteller, who had learned. The moment he returned from his little mission, he ran right to you to tell you everything, acting it out the best he could for you. You watched, smiling as Jerome had a fun time acting out what had happened in the last few hours.

“So first, we had to steal a gas truck, cause how are you supposed to set stuff on fire? So we beat up the gas truck people and stole a truck! It was such a tight squeeze, fitting all four of us inside it. I felt so squished. It...It was just gross. I love the boys, don’t get me wrong, but they smell.

“Anyhoo, we hid under a bridge for what seemed like for-ev-er! It really lasted a long ass time. And when you’re squished inside a small truck with a bunch of strange odors and aromas, you have no fun whatsoever. But hope soon arrived! For a busload of cheerleaders drove by! We were quick to chase! I mean, what’s better than getting back at all of your bullies and those awful mean girls?”

“Jerome, they all graduated.” You say. 

“Does it matter? I want your alma mater to know that Jerome Valeska loves ya! But continuing on, we soon cut the bus off! Tension filled the air as those poor little saps didn’t know what was about to happen. Then...now wait for it, this is the good part...we started our attack!

“I, of course, led the whole thing, knocking on the bus door with a gun in my hand. That poor man driving the bus looked soooooooooo terrified! It really got me goin’. But I couldn’t soak in the moment, there was work to be done. So, we finally get on the bus! The moment they saw the gun all of those girls screamed, but of course I used my lovely charm to calm them down...Well, they were calm before Arnold walked through and handcuffed them all. 

“So, all the girls and some boys...Can you believe that some men decided to be cheerleaders? Way to turn the tables! Ugh, now I want a carrier change-”

“Jerome, honey, you’re rambling.” You say. 

Jerome smacks himself in the head. “Sorry, sorry. But after I was done complementing my carrier, I started to walk through. I had to make sure everything was okie-dokie! And of course, I said an awesome line. Oh, let me remember it and try my best to recreate it.” Jerome cleared his throat, standing tall with his hands behind his back like he was about to give a speech.    
“I want you to know that this was a very difficult decision for us. It was between you and a senior citizen bingo party. In the end, we decided to skew a little younger. Youth won the day, sorry.” Jerome broke his posture, shifting a bit on his feet. “Soooo, how was it?” 

You clap. “It was wonderful J, brilliant!” 

Jerome bows. “Thank you dollface, I knew you’d love it. Where was I? Oh right! Of course they were cheerleaders, so I had to give them a little cheer. Wanna help me baby?”

“Sure!” You reply. 

“Give me an O!” Jerome screams. And you give him an O back. Jerome smiles. “Very good dollface. You see, those nasty cheerleaders didn’t give me an O! Well, they did after a little inimatation from mr. gun here.” Jerome twirled his gun around, and you couldn’t help but giggle. Even while being psychotic he was adorable. “Alright, let’s continue. Give me an N!” You give him an H. “Alright, last one. You ready? Give me an O!” You give him an O in return. “And what does that spell?”

“Oh no!” You reply. Jerome claps, jumping up and down like a school girl. 

“That was perfect, oh wow you deserve an oscar!” Jerome exclaims. You smile, your face flushing a bit. “Alright, now we are at the climax. Aaron walks on the bus and hands me the gas hose from the trunk, and then we spray ‘em with gasoline! Ugh, they kept crying and crying. Someone really needed to teach them how to live a little. But we coated them in gas, and of course had our fun. But soon we had to set them on fire.”

“You set a bus on fire?” You ask. 

“No, Jimbo Gordono of the GCPD...o...Showed up before we could do anything. And none of our lighters worked so, we couldn’t have set the fire anyway. But someone did die! Poor Arnold, shot right in the head as we were driving away.” Jerome said. 

“You left Arnold behind?” You ask. 

Jerome nodded. “Sometimes you have to. Not every moment can be sweet and heroic. Sometimes you lose a man.” 

“I wonder if Galavan likes that, that one of his men died.” You say. “And I did like Arnold. He wasn’t...well scary or a cannibal.” 

Jerome shrugged. “I don’t know. Galavan is a weird dude. Wait, you’re scared?”

“No, because I have you.” You reply. 

Jerome smiles. He crawls into bed beside you, pulling you close and holding you tightly. You cuddle up into his arms, resting your head against his shoulder. 

“I can’t wait to introduce Gotham to my queen.” Jerome says. “I bet they’ll love ya.”

You smile. “I bet they’ll love you too, but because you force them too.” 

“You think people in England like the queen on their own will? Nope!” You laugh at Jerome’s crazy thinking. You couldn’t say he was wrong though. 

“You’re so funny J.” You reply. 

“They don’t call me The Joker for nothin’...Wait only you call me that.” Jerome says. “Maybe our little guy will call me that too.”

“I assume they’ll first say ‘Daddy’, but we can discuss it later.” You say. Jerome laughs, leaving kisses on your forehead. 

“Ain’t you funny? Anyhoo, let’s get some sleep! We have a lot of destruction and chaos to cause tomorrow.”

“Jerome, it’s 4:30…”

“Alright, nap until dinner. Jeez, when did you become a party pooper?” Jerome rolls over in bed, tucking himself in. He laid there in bed, jokingly huffy. You wrap your arms around him, and he gently holds your hand in his. You rest your head on his back, letting your eyes close. 

You couldn’t help but wonder something: Did Galavan really care if any of his Maniax lived or died? He did almost let one of them kill themselves during Russian Roulette. You hoped that Galavan was just doing a little test or some cop accidentally shot Arnold while they were arresting him. This whole thing was all so strange. 

At least you had Jerome by your side still. 


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating sooner! School is just...well ya know...school ;p

It wasn’t long before Galavan had yet another plan. Galavan was going to send what was left of the Maniax into the GCPD and destroy the place. It was quite the jump from terrorizing a bus filled with children. The GCPD was well prepared for this sort of thing, and there were more of them than Maniax. But Galavan had his hopes, and his charm carried those hopes over the rest of his pawns. 

“The cops are the key to ruling the city, doll face.” Jerome says. “They’re like a tiny little army that you can control with money and power!” 

“Well, you’ve certainly cracked the code.” You say. You look at the police uniform that Galavan had given Jerome. “I never thought I’d see you in this.”

“People change.” Jerome says. He places the hat on your head. “Keep it warm for me.”

“Yes sir.” You say. Jerome laughs. He takes the rest of the uniform, quickly shedding his pajamas and placing the blue and black suit on. “J, do you know how this will all end?”

“Yeah, with a buncha cops dead.” Jerome answers. 

“No, I mean everything with Galavan. Do you know how it’s going to end?” You ask again. 

“Eh, I don’t know. I believe Galavan’s the kind of man who just...well...makes up random shit as he goes along.” Jerome says. “Oh hey, just like me!”

“He also seemed unphased when Arnold died, like he had planned it.” You say. “Maybe he’s hoping you all will die and he’s just plucking you all off the vine one by one.” 

“You are the mom friend, literally.” Jerome jokes. “There’s a little buddy in your belly!”

You grab Jerome’s hand, holding it tightly. “J, I’m being serious. You need to think about this. Galavan might want to hurt you, hurt us, hurt our baby. I...I don’t want our baby to grow up without their father, I won’t want to grow old without you.”

Tears brewed up in your eyes. Jerome stopped, taking his free hand to wipe the tears away from your eyes. He left a gentle kiss on your forehead. You hold him, enjoying the feeling of having him in your arms. 

“Don’t worry dollface, nothin’ can kill Jerome Valeska. And no one is gonna hurt you.” Jerome says. “And if they do, I will stab them right in the brain.” 

You laugh. “Stab them in the brain?”

“What? I can’t be creative?” Jerome asks. You laugh. You give him a long kiss, Jerome leaning into it with all the passion the young man had. 

“Jerome, if you keep snuggling your girlfriend you’ll never get to the police station.” Galavan said. You turn around, seeing Galavan standing in the doorway. 

“Right away.” Jerome winks, letting you go and putting his uniform on. You step back, sitting down on the bed. Galavan just stands there, peering over with eagle eyes. Jerome finished getting dressed quickly. He took the policeman’s hat from you, placing it back on his own head. “I’ll be back, dollface.” He kisses you, then runs off. 

Galavan stands in the doorway for a moment. He looks over at you, a deep and evil glare in his eyes. You gulp, suddenly growing nervous. “I hear you’ve figured it out. Well, it was an accidental plan but you have to clean up the evidence.” You were speechless. Galavan was willing to let his workers die. He was going to let Jerome die. “Ah yes, I know you must be worried about your dear Jerome. He’s a smart young man, he’ll figure himself out.” 

“You’re sick.” You say. 

“We all have our dark sides, Ms. [L/N].” Galavan said. And with that, he left you. 

You sigh, looking down at your stomach. You didn’t want to be without Jerome, you didn’t want your baby to be without Jerome. You hoped that everything was going to be okay, but you figured something was going to go wrong very,  _ very _ , soon. 


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating in a week! I am not dead I promise

Galavan asked you to come to his office. It was strange, Galavan wanted nothing to do with you. He ignored you for the most part. And now he took an interest in you, sort of like you were the key to the puzzle. Of course, after your conversation earlier, you obeyed. You didn’t want to be the reason that Jerome was sent off and killed. 

Galavan stood behind you, angling you towards a small TV on his desk. With the remote he turned it on, ordering you to “Watch carefully”. The whole scene was a massacre. The GCPD was completely destroyed. Bodies laid everywhere, blood was splattered about the room. Gun shots were fired but you didn’t understand where they were going or whose side they were one. You simply watched, stunned at the chaos Galavan was able to make with just a small group of crazies. 

Who were you kidding? This was all your sweet Jerome and you knew it. 

Soon the camera fell on your Jerome. His back was turned, but you could still sense that his crazy smile was running across his face. There was a woman in front of him. She seemed familiar yet you couldn’t name her. You could hear Greenwood laughing in the back, and then another shot. Everything was quiet for a moment, and you and Galavan simply waited to see what was going to happen next.

Jerome whistles, tossing his jacket aside. “Hell of a first week you’re having, commissioner.” You smile at the sound of Jerome’s voice, wishing he was right beside you. “I wish I could tell you things were going to get better for you. They’re not.” Jerome gestures towards Greenwood, motioning for him to stand where he was. “Bring that up here. We’ll get a better angle of the room.” 

“Why are you doing this?” The commissioner asks. 

“To rule the world.” Jerome answers quickly. “Also, I’m going to be a father soon. I have to bring home the bacon somehow!” He chuckles, and you simply swoon over Jerome all over again. 

“Who the fuck decided to have a baby with you?” The commissioner spits. 

“My girlfriend, although I feel like we should get married. Should we get married Greenwood?” Jerome says. You look behind at Galavan, who is rolling his eyes at the thought of a marriage between you and your J. You turn back, seeing Greenwood give a thumbs up to Jerome. 

“You’re just crazy, and so is that girl of yours.” The commissioner states.

You can see Jerome’s mood change. He quickly becomes angry, staring at the commissioner with a dark seriousness. He moves closer to her, his face almost turning red. “Look at me. You can see that I’m not crazy.” Jerome whispers. 

“Very soon, little man, you will be dead, and the world will go on without you.” The commissioner says. You couldn’t help but place your hands on your baby bump, not wanting Jerome to die before he meets his child, not wanting your child to be without their father. You even felt tears leave your eyes. Pregnancy hormones really do suck. “You’ll be nothing. No one will remember your name.”

“Mmm, good points.” Jerome says. He was back to being a showman again, and you couldn’t help but want to see what he did next. “But that is where you are wrong, old lady. I will leave a mark on this city. I’ll spread across it like a virus, plaguing every inch of this town until it’s under my foot. I’ll have a royal family, a legacy of little sons of bitches who will follow in Daddy’s footsteps. They call me The Joker for a reason.”

“And why’s that?” 

“There’s nothing to control a city like laughter!” Greenwood says. 

Jerome turns around, shooting Greenwood in the chest. The camera falls over, and for a moment all you can see was the ceiling. But you still heard every word your Jerome was saying. 

“That was my line. There’s nothing to control a city like laughter!” Jerome announces. 

You hear a large thud, and the sound of something falling over. “Now that’s gonna leave a mark.” You hear the commissioner say. Jerome then laughs, not giving a care in the world about anything. 

“You got me! Now, it’s my turn.” Jerome says. He laughs evilly again. You hear a gunshot, and you just know Jerome shot the commissoner. He picks up the camera, and you can see his newly broken nose, blood dripping down his face. You gasp, hating seeing your Jerome hurt like this. He laughs again, before starting his little speech. “Hello Gotham City! We are the Maniax! And I’m Jerome, the shot-caller of the gang. But my girlfriend calls me The Joker, so let’s go with that, shall we? Anyhoo, we are here to spread the message of wisdom and hope.” Jerome laughs again. He seemed to be really enjoying this. Someone groaned, and Jerome quickly pulled out his gun and shot the man. “Some people have no manners. Well, back to the speech. You’re all prisoners. What you call sanity is just a prison in your minds that stops you from seeing that you’re just tiny, little cogs in a giant absurd machine. Wake up! Why be a cog? Be free, like us!” Sirens started to wail, and Jerome looks around panicked for one moment. “Oh! Time to go! But don’t worry, we’ll be back very soon. Hang onto your hats folks, cause you ain’t seen nothing yet!” Jerome laughs one more time before the camera turns off. 

“Jerome is a great showman.” Galavan says.

“I suppose he is.” You reply. “Why did you show me this?”

“Because I want you to see the true nature of what’s happening, how the world sees your precious pudding.” Galavan says. 

“I don’t call him pudding.” You reply.

“Maybe you should start, my dear [Y/N]. Jerome might not be around for long.” 


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for not updating in a while...Whooops! Also this chapter is crappy...I'll make it better soon I promise

Jerome laughed when he heard Galavan’s next plan. In a few days there was going to be this charity event, with all of Gotham’s elite in attendance. The remaining Maniax were going to sneak in as performers, do a few tricks before they started to bring chaos and death. Jerome loved it. He loved the showmanship, the performance, the fact that he was able to impress you with his card tricks again. 

“I’m glad you find this exciting.” Galavan says. 

Jerome nods. “Oh, it's very interesting to me.” 

“It’ll be nice to see you do your card tricks again.” You say. “It’s like we’re kids again.” 

“We were just little youngins, looking for a brighter way.” Jerome says. You smile, kissing his cheek gently. 

“You should shower Jerome.” Galavan says. “You smell awful.” He looks at you, staring you dead in the eyes, before he leaves the room. Jerome doesn’t even notice. All you could think about is what he told you before, that soon he was going to kill Jerome. 

Jerome sniffs his clothes, a puzzled look on his face. “Do I smell bad?”

You break out of your thought train, turning to look back at your boyfriend. “You smell fine, J.” You say. “It’s the smell of murderous success.” 

Jerome smiles. “I like the way you put words together.” 

You blush. “Well I like how kind and lovely you are for a mass murder.” 

“Aww, now I’m gonna blush.” Jerome says. He leans down, gently kissing you. He starts to get rougher, biting your lip gently. He soon moves back, only a small space separating the both of you. “You want to be my sexy assistant?” 

You laugh. “What do you mean, J?” 

“Every magician has a sexy assistant. And I want you to be mine.” Jerome says. “I mean, the queen should always appear with the king, right?” 

“If you want me to, I will.” You say. 

“You make me so happy.” Jerome says. He grabs you, spinning you around. You laugh, holding onto his shoulders. He soon sets you down, a big smile on his face. “I don’t want to get JJ dizzy.” 

You smile. “I doubt that babies can get dizzy.” 

Jerome leans in again. “Oh come on dollface, anything is possible.” Jerome stops. He stands back up, a puzzled look on his face. 

“What is it?” You ask. 

“If anything is possible, maybe we should tell Daddy about his grandson.” Jerome says. You can see the light bulbs turn on in his head. “Maybe even tell your own parents, if ya want!”

You look back at Jerome with the same puzzled look he had before. “What do you mean?”

“You need a practice run before we...well destroy that entire room filled with rich people.” Jerome says. “Also, my queen needs to make her Maniax debut.” 

You realize what Jerome wants to do. Your eyes go wide. You lean in, whispering “You want to kill your father?” at Jerome. Jerome erguly nods, a devilish smirk on his face. “Well, he did abandon you.” 

“Atagirl.” Jerome says. “Now don’t worry, I’ll make sure you and little JJ are safe. No one's gonna touch you, or else they’ll get a bullet in their head.” 

“No one ever hurt you again.” You say. You gently run your fingers on Jerome’s broken nose. He smiles, taking your hand away from his face. He holds it gently, kissing your knuckles gently. 

“Don’t you worry about lil’ old me. Nothing defeats The Joker, not even the grim reaper himself.” Jerome says. 

You could only smile. You hoped that Galavan wouldn’t do anything to your precious Jerome, but you knew the chaos that Galavan was able to create. You just hoped you could protect him. 

But you can’t. 


	21. Chapter 21

Jerome carefully led you through the open window of Mr. Cicero’s apartment. You couldn’t help but admire how Jerome looked, cloaking in the darkness of the apartment. He wore his best suit, a green and purple number, and his devilish smirk just pulled everything together. He whistles as he paces around, looking around at his father’s things. 

“Ugh, he does not know how to decorate.” Jerome jokes. Soon Jerome stops. He hovers over a picture. He doesn’t let you look at it, but you can tell by the frown Jerome is now wearing on his face that it was something bad. 

“J?” You say. 

“He’s got a picture of me. Wow, he deserves the father of the year award.” Jerome jokes. “I guess we now know what our kid will look like.” 

“Can I see?” You ask. 

“You want to see me holding a metal baseball bat over my brother’s head?” Jerome asks. 

“You have a brother?” You ask. 

Before Jerome could answer, the door unlocked. Jerome smiled. He pulled you closer to him, placing his finger on his lips to tell you to be quiet. You nod. You both watch the door, seeing it slowly creek open as Mr. Cicero walks through. He doesn’t even get five steps inside before he notices something is wrong. He can’t see the both of you, but he looks straight at you and Jerome. You gulp, the nerves building in your stomach. Jerome smiles even wider. He soon lets you go, carefully walking around in order to get behind his father. 

“Who’s there?” Mr. Cicero calls out. You stay silent. 

Soon, Jerome pounces. He wraps his arm around Mr. Cicero, tugging harshly in order to choke him. Mr. Cicero places his hand against Jerome’s arm, and he simply laughs. 

“Hiya, pops.” Jerome says. “Long time, no see.”

Jerome soon let's go, Mr. Cicero gasping for air. Jerome shoves him into a chair, standing over him to make sure he wouldn’t escape. Mr. Cicero looked up at his son, and all you could see was fear and disappointment in his eyes. 

“So, how ya doing?” Jerome asks. Mr. Cicero says nothing. “Ah, silent treatment eh? Fine, I’ll tell you a story. You remember Kansas City, Dad? The circus went through town every year around my birthday. And there was this guy...Him and my mom used to drink and fornicate and beat the crap outta me. They would make a whole night out of it. And I remember one time. It was my ninth birthday. Him and my mom had just finished round one of boozing, boning, and beating up Jerome, and were deciding to take a little break. Anywho, I was outside of the trailer and you were there. And you said “Why are you crying Jerome?”.” And in a high pitched voice, a voice you barely remembered from your childhood memories, Jerome says this: “It’s my birthday, and my mom and the snake guy are beating me.” That voice brought tears to your eyes (Would your son have that same voice?), but Jerome went back to his normal voice. “And then you said, “This world doesn’t care about you or anyone else, Jerome. Better to realize that now.” And that was it. 

“But I bet you didn’t think that I’d find a girl to love me, huh? Well my sweet [Y/N] does. And we’re gonna be parents soon.” Mr. Cicero’s eyes widened. “Yeah, I knocked her up. It’s too bad that you weren’t a better father, cause the baby could have been named after you.” 

“You’re crazy.” Mr. Cicero said. “You brought that innocent girl into all of this!”

“Pops, no one is as innocent as they seem. Right honey?” 

You nod. “You’re right J.” 

“Oh! And another thing.” Jerome got serious again, leaning down to scream into his father’s face. “There’s this guy Pops, he thinks that I’m gonna be a star. He believes in me like you never did. And tonight, [Y/N] and I are gonna show all of Gotham that I’m a star, and they will all believe in me. Well, expect for you ‘cause you’ll be dead.” 

“Jerome-”

“Oh! Is this the part where you say how sorry you are? Hmmm? How you should have believed in me? How it’s not too late to start again? News flash Dad, it is too late!” Jerome screams. He grabs a knife from his pocket, pointing it directly at his father’s face. 

“You don’t have to do this.” Mr. Cicero says. “Think about [Y/N], think about your child.”

“Oh, I do everyday. And you know who isn’t there with us? You.” Jerome says. 

“Jerome I did love you. I was a bad father. To kill me for this-”

Jerome laughs. He paces again, slapping his knee. “That’s not why I’m gonna kill you! I’m gonna kill you for...Oh, right!” Jerome places a pile of papers on the table that were tucked away in his pockets. “Letters to your troubled son in Arkham, secret messages to help get your precious son out of Arkham. The cops will find them, and assume you helped get me out of there. Sorry Pops, it was either you or [Y/N], but how could I kill the love of my life?”

“The cops won’t believe it.” Mr. Cicero says. 

“Yes they will. Cops are dumb.” Jerome says. “So, before I kill you, any last words of wisdom you want to give me? I’ll totally ignore them, but dollface might find them useful.” 

“You will be a curse upon Gotham. Children will wake from sleep, screaming at the thought of you. Your legacy will be death and madness. And your son will become your greatest enemy. He’ll be the death of you.” Mr. Cicero says. 

“We’re having a boy…” You mumble to yourself. You look down at your stomach, a bright smile forming on your face. 

“Well that’s just wonderful! But one thing…” Jerome leans in, hovering right beside his father’s ear. “Never talk about my fucking son like that ever again.” 

Jerome was about to shove the knife straight into his father’s head, but there was a loud knock on the door. Everyone grew still and quiet. You held your breath, not entirely sure what was about to happen. 

“G.C.P.D.” You recognized that voice...It was Jim Gordon, the man that took your Jerome away. “Mr. Cicero, it’s Detective Gordon. We need to talk to you about your son. Mr. Cicero?” 

Jerome rolls his eyes. He grows bored, finally stabbing the knife into his father’s eye. He screams. “Say hi to mom for me.” Jerome whispers. He runs over to you, grabbing you by the hand and dragging you towards the window. The two of you run, Jerome laughing as he helps you out of the window. Right as you both left Jim Gordon broke down the door, entering the apartment only to see Mr. Cicero’s dead body. The two of you run off, walking down Gotham’s back streets to return to Galavan’s apartment. 

“I wonder if you dad’s right, about us having a boy.” You say. 

“I hope so! Have yet another prince of chaos.” Jerome says. “Oooh, let’s think of names!” 

“Right now?” You ask. 

“What? I’m trying to be a good father.” Jerome jokes. “Now, I have an idea, and I want to see if you like it!” 

“Alright, go ahead.” You say. 

“Jason.” 

At that moment you felt a little kick. You smile, giggling a bit. “He agrees. Jason it is then.” 

“Oh Jason, you’re gonna be the death of me.” Jerome jokes. You laugh, holding onto Jerome’s arm as you both walk down the street. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your kid is Jason Todd...So sequel potential?


	22. Chapter 22

Jerome looks over you, fixing every little detail of your costume. You laughed, letting Jerome perfect every detail of this perfect night. He had convinced Galavan to let you be his assistant, even though you were a few months pregnant and not really a part of the Maniax. But you were still happy to be Jerome’s assistant. (You also had to promise to do Barbara a million favors, which you really didn’t mind). 

“I’ve always dreamed of this.” Jerome says to you. “I the handsome magician, you the lovely assistant.”

“Now that dream is coming true.” You say. 

Jerome smiles, but it wasn’t his crazy smirk. It was a genuine smile of real happiness. “I’m so glad I get to spend this night with you, and little Jason in there too!” Jerome kneels down, rubbing your stomach. “Daddy’s gonna teach you all of his tricks, okay? You’re gonna be the best Maniax to ever be. Gotham will be terrified of you.”

You laugh. “You’re going to be a wonderful father.” 

“And you a wonderful mother.” Jerome says back. 

The crowd started to clap. Jerome springs up, quickly dusting off his clothing. You both turn to the stage, watching from the back as a woman steps onto the stage. You soon recognize the woman as Lee Thompkins, one of Detective Gordon’s friends. You and Jerome watch Lee give her speech. There was really nothing else to do.

“Good evening. I am Dr. Lee Thompkins. For the past five years, I’ve had the honor of being apart of the Children’s Hospital. Thank you for your support, and thank you so much for coming out here tonight. Over the years, we’ve had magicians come and entertain our children. And so tonight, we have one of those magicians here for you. Without further ado, please allow me to present to you, the Great Rudolpho.” 

The audience claps. Jerome turns to you, a big smile on his face. “It’s showtime!” He whispers. He takes you by the arm, leading you out onto the stage. The lights were hot and bright you could barely see a thing, but you kept a bright smile on your face, and so did Jerome (Although it was hidden by the beard he was wearing). 

“Greetings, ladies and germs!” You almost burst out laughing at the horrible italian accent Jerome was trying to pull off. It was terrible. But the audience seemed to buy it. “I am indeed The Great Rulodpho. Oh, and please ogle my lovely assistant.” Jerome presents you to the crowd. You bow, the crowd clapping for you. Jerome did love to show you off. 

Jerome starts to play with a handkerchief, and after a few moments he pulls a rose out of it. The crowd gasps. He hands it to you, and you smell it. It smelled so nice. You tucked it away, right before Jerome managed to release a dove from the same piece of cloth. Jerome soon stands at the front of the stage, you rushing to his side of course. 

“For my first act, I’ll require a volunteer. Let me see…” Jerome turned his head, smirking at you as he said “Duck, duck, duck” over and over again. You blush. He finally says Goose and points to someone far back in the crowd. You could see the boy, and it was Bruce Wayne. You gasp, realizing what Galavan probably wants to happen: He wants to kill Bruce Wayne. You play along anyways, not knowing what you could do. You walk down into the crowd, guiding the young man back onto the stage. He seemed upset. Bruce probably didn’t want to be here.

“Hello young man!” Jerome gestures to the box. Bruce slips inside, laying down in it. You and Jerome close the lid. You help him put the restraints in place while Jerome grabs the large blade. The crowd gasps at the sight of it. “Now, does this handsome gentlemen have a name?”

“Bruce.” Bruce replies, an angry tone in his voice.

“Bruce!” Jerome says again. “Well Bruce, this won’t hurt a bit.” After showing off the blades one more time, Jerome places them into the box. There was some panic in the crowd, but you were able to swing Bruce’s legs around and Jerome was able to put the boy back together. The crowd cheers. After Bruce gets out of the box, you help him off stage, bringing him back to where he was before.

“For my next illusion, I’d like to call to the stage, esteemed Deputy Mayor Harrison Kane.” Jerome announces. 

You find the deputy mayor in the crowd, leading him back up to the stage. You place him against the large dart board, before you reveal a whole table covered in knives. The crowd gasps in wonder. Jerome studies the knives, picking out one from the rest. 

“By the way, no one is getting out of here alive.” The crowd laughs, and Jerome starts to lose his accent. Jerome soon proves that he wasn’t joking. He threw the knife straight into Kane’s chest, the man groaning and falling to the floor as he died. The crowd started to panic, but there’s nothing they can do. They are all stuck in here, that was apart of the plan. 

Jerome laughs evilly, the accent long gone and he was back to his normal self. Gunshots fire off, and the crowd runs wild. “TADA!” Jerome screams. He laughs again, pulling you close to him. Lightbulbs were shattering, people were screaming, and Jerome was laughing. “Look at that!” Jerome says to you. “Look at this dollface, we did it!”

“Yeah, we sure did.” You reply. 

“You know, maybe Jimbo is on his way. I mean the cops must be outside.” Jerome says. He runs off into the crowd, leaving you alone. He finds Lee, dragging her up to the stage forcefully. You help him restrain her to the large dart board. You couldn’t lie to yourself that working with Jerome was quite...well fun actually. But at the same time you had never felt more guilty about anything. You tear off his beard, tossing it aside. All the while, Jerome steals Lee’s phone, dialing Jim Gordon. He seemed so pleased with himself. 

“Sorry Jimbo, it’s just little old me...Are you outside? You are, aren’t you? Oh goody! … Breathe James, I haven’t touched a hair on your girlfriend’s pretty head. Well, she isn’t as pretty as my [Y/N], but whatever floats your boat I guess...Don’t believe me? See for yourself! It’s live television after all!” Jerome cackles.

“Aww, you called me pretty on live TV.” You joke. 

“Of course I did dollface.” Jerome replies. 

“You’re the best, puddin’!” You reply. 

Jerome smiles. “Ooooh, keep callin’ me that!” 

“You got it, puddin’.” You say. 

Jerome cackles, planting a giant kiss on your lips. After a moment he leans away, running over to Lee to mess with her. He pretends to shoot her, laughing while he mimicked the action. You of course stood by his side. You hear something faint come out of the phone. Jerome raises it back to his ear. 

“True, but not the point. Hey, let’s talk about what I want.” Jerome says. “47,000,000 dollars, a helicopter obviously, a nice house to grow my family in. Oh yeah, [Y/N] is pregnant. We’re having a boy, we named him Jason this morning. Oh! And a pony for our sweet baby. You got ten minutes before I start shooting people. And remember, this is being broadcast to every home in Gotham, so don’t let people die. Bye!” Jerome laughs before he hangs up the phone. He turned to you, a smile on his face. “I think that went well.” 

“Enough!” Jerome turns around, seeing Galavan standing up in the crowd. You rush to Jerome’s side, holding onto his arm. “You need to pack up your pathetic little side show and leave.”

“Oh, is that right?” Jerome devilishly smirks at his boss. 

“It may be presumptuous to speak for all citizens of Gotham, but we are sick of you!” Galavan moves closer to the stage. And then you realize something. 

Tonight is the night. 

Tonight is when Theo Galavan takes Jerome from you. 

You tug on Jerome’s arm, but he doesn’t bug. You start to tune out Galavan’s words, knowing what’s coming. Jerome ignores you. He continues to act, with you still attached to his arm, of course. You start to panic more and more, hoping that Galavan’s threats were empty ones.

“I’m curious what your leverage here is, Mr…” Jerome says.

“Theo Galavan.”

“Well Mr. Galavan, if you don’t sit down, uh, I’m going to have to shoot you in the face.” Jerome threatens. 

“I know there is some human decency left in you. If you need to take a hostage, take me.” Galavan offers. 

“Puddin’...” You whisper. Jerome still ignores you.

“That is a nice offer, but give up an entire city for one guy? I’m not so sure.” Jerome turns to you. “Dollface, what do you say?”

“I think we should kill him.” You reply. 

Jerome smiles brightly. “Oh I am liking the way you are thinking tonight!” He grabs your face, pulling it closer to his. “Oh you are just terrific! You’re the best girl ever, don’t you know that? I love you so much dollface.” He pulls you in for another kiss. You open your eyes for one second, seeing Galavans standing behind Jerome with a knife. You try to move Jerome out of the way, try to protect him somehow, but it was too late. 

Galavan sinks the knife right into Jerome’s throat. He starts to choke, you carefully guiding him to the stage floor. The tears brew in your eyes, you can barely see a thing. Blood starts to pour out of his mouth, and soon Galavan finally lets go of the knife. You don’t remove it, you just hold Jerome. You wipe his tears away, tears you knew that were of total sorrow. He’d never see his son, never be the ruler of Gotham. All his dreams were crushed with one stab. 

“Hey, don’t cry.” Jerome whispers. He grabs your face, wiping your tears away with his thumb. “Remember, nothing kills The Joker.” His hand slowly falls to your stomach. “See ya later, JJ.” Jerome lets out one last laugh, before he slips away into darkness. 

“Jerome!” You scream. Your head falls onto his chest, you violently sobbing as you morun. Your Jerome was gone, taken away by a crazed man who wanted to be mayor. You hold onto him, hoping Jerome would wake up any second. Of course he didn’t. He was dead. 

“How could you ever love him?” Galavan whispers to you. 

“You’re a monster.” You snap back. 

“No, my dear, I believe you are.” 


	23. Chapter 23

Only seconds after your Jerome had died, the police started to enter the building. You made the worst decision, well the worst at the moment, and left Jerome’s lifeless body. You ran away. You figured the police would want something to do with you. You didn’t hurt anyone but you still were involved in this whole mess. Not to mention that you also helped Jerome hide and never turned him in. 

You left Jerome, quickly running away through some of the magicians equipment. It was going to be your grand exit, Jerome holding you by the waist and he declares himself the king of Gotham and you the queen. But that would never happen. You quickly disappear before the cops were able to whisk you away. 

The journey to your apartment was basically a blur. You couldn’t really remember anything. You were running away from the police and your lover died in your arms. But somehow you lost the cops and were able to get into your apartment. The last time you were here, Jerome was still alive. You feel the tears start to come into your eyes. You hadn’t had any time to properly mourn yet. So as soon as you walked into your apartment, you fell to your knees and started to sob. 

All you could think about was his bloody smile, his last words, the fact that your son would never see his father (Although to most, that would be considered a good thing). You couldn’t turn to your parents, as they would probably hand you over to the police. Same with your friends. And Jerome’s family hated him and was dead. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to turn to. You were stuck, pregnant, probably considered a criminal, and had to flee Gotham before things got even worse. 

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Miss [Y/N] [L/N].”

You look up. You notice that your entire apartment has been cleared out, and barely anything remained, just a few odds and ends. It was also well cleaned, like it just had been cleaned that morning. Only the living room light was on, and the light was barely shining. And then you noticed the man standing in front of you. He was the exact image of Jerome, although he looked...Well he looked sane. He wore glasses, had a suit on, probably had brushed his hair before. You believed you were seeing a ghost, that Jerome came back looking like the typical dad. But then something came back into your mind.

_ You want to see me holding a metal baseball bat over my brother’s head? _

This must be Jerome’s brother. 

“I wish it wasn’t under such circumstances, but I’m afraid that my brother is unpredictable and crazy.” 

“I love him.” You reply. 

“I know you do, and there is still apart of me that does too.” The man stuck his hand out. “Jeremiah Valeska, Jerome’s little brother.” 

You take Jeremiah’s hand. He lifts you up. He holds you stiffly, like he doesn’t want to be around you at all. He looks you over, nothing but curiosity in his eyes. There were nothing like Jerome’s. Nothing about Jeremiah was anything like Jerome but his face. How could identical twins be this different? 

“He’s never mentioned you.” You say.

“I figured. He hates me.” Jeremiah says. “It’s mutual.”

“How the fuck did you find me?” You ask. 

“I guess that is something you should know. After Jerome’s escape I have been...tracking him. I found out about you and your child. I also figured Jerome would get himself killed soon - The pattern of the Maniax dying was quite obvious - so I moved all of your things to a safer location, which I’ll take you.” Jeremiah explains. 

“I can’t wrap you into this.” You say. “I mean, you seem so...well innocent.”

“Believe me, you can never escape Jerome Valeska even if you tried.” Jeremiah says. “I should know. I have tried for years. Now lets go. I assume the police will be here soon, and I doubt you want to stick around for that.”

“No...I really don’t.” You reply. 

Jeremiah nods. He takes your hand, leading you out of your apartment building and into the ally beside it. A black car was hidden in the shadows. Jeremiah let you enter it, him after you, before the driver sped off. 

“[Y/N], this is Echo, my assistant.” Jeremiah explains. 

Echo says nothing back to you. She continues to drive off. You soon notice that you were leaving Gotham behind, your whole life uprooted because you fell in love with a maniac. You slump in your seat, letting the tears flow again. Jeremiah doesn’t say a word. He lets you cry, rubbing your back at certain times. You were left in your own thoughts. 

“Why?” You ask. You don’t look up. 

“Why what?” Jeremiah questions. 

“Why go through all of this trouble for your brother’s girlfriend, your brother who you hate?” You ask. 

“Jerome is a beast, in life and death. And I don’t want to anger him any further than I already have.” Jeremiah explains. “And I couldn’t leave my nephew and his mother alone. That would really piss Jerome off.” 


	24. Chapter 24

You soon found out that Jeremiah had done everything he could to hide away from his brother. He lived deep in the woods, underneath the ground in a large maze. The walls were a bright white, and there were cameras every few feet. It was strange, and you felt like you were being watched by a higher power. It was all so strange.

“Don’t mind the cameras. They’re for our safety. Ecco and I are the only ones who look at them.” Jeremiah explains. You nod. “I’ll bring you to your room.” 

Jeremiah leads you through the maze, but you doubt you’ll remember your way out of it. He opens a door and you walk inside. All of your things were still in boxes, surrounding the sides of the room. Your bed was already made and all of the important furniture was already set up. From the looks of it, it seemed like Jeremiah had been planning this for ages. 

“There’s a bathroom attached to the room, and a radio in case you need Ecco or I.” Jeremiah explains. “Once the baby is closer to being born, we can start setting up a nursery...And maybe therapy sessions.” 

You laugh. “Therapy?”

“Your baby has Valeska genetics, and that isn’t a good thing.” Jeremiah explains. “We are some fucked up people.” 

You nod. “I’ve seen what Jerome can do...It can be terrifying.” 

“I’ve been under the crowbar many times.” Jeremiah says. “That’s why I ran, because Jerome tried to kill me. We got into a fight, and you know how my brother handles his feelings.” 

“Jerome gave the baby a name.” You blurt out. 

Jeremiah tilts his head in confusion, raising an eyebrow as he stares at you. “Really? Well, I’m not sure how you two would have access to any doctor or-”

“Mr. Cicero, your father, told us we were having a boy.” You explain. “Jerome named him Jason.” 

“Jason? Well that’s a normal name for my brother to come up with.” Jeremiah said. “I guess you did him good, made him normal for a few moments.”

“N-Normal? What do you mean?” You ask. 

“Jerome is fucking crazy. I don’t remember a single moment where he acted sane.” Jeremiah says. “But I do like the name. If it is a boy, you should keep that.” 

You nod. “Thank you for helping me. You didn’t have to.”

Jeremiah nods. “We both have to stick together. We are the only two people that Jerome didn’t willingly kill.” 

You lightly laugh. Jeremiah gives you a small nod before he leaves you alone. You sit down on your bed. You wonder what would have happened if Jerome survived. Jeremiah had brought his things, and he clearly knew what was his as there were boxes labeled Jerome in your room. Maybe he was going to protect you both, keep you both out of harm's way. Nothing really made sense anymore. 

You looked at the clock on the wall. It was almost one in the morning. You had been up for hours and within those hours your entire life descended into even more chaos. You placed your hand on your stomach, feeling little kicks from the baby inside. 

“It’s alright Jason.” You whisper. 

After a while, Ecco enters your room. You only saw her with a serious face, but now she looked sad. She stared at you with sad eyes, and you knew she pitied you. 

“I hope you find everything comfortable.” Ecco says. 

“I do, thank you.” You reply. “I’m thankful for both you and Jeremiah.”

“We are happy to have you here too, although Jeremiah is not good at expressing his feelings. He hoped to have both you and Jerome here.”

You raise your eyebrow. “He wanted Jerome here too?”

Ecco nodded. “He never said why. Even with me he is quite secretive. But he wanted you both here.”

“I wonder why…” You say. You think for a moment, before Ecco breaks your thoughts.

“Who knows, and we will probably never know. Fate is a strange thing.” Ecco says. “I’ll let you sleep. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” You say. Ecco leaves you alone. You lay back in your bed, closing your eyes and trying to relax. In your dream you saw Jerome, covered in blood still, almost completely white, but his smile was sparkling. He takes your face in his hands, and he laughs happily in your face. 

“Remember doll, nothin’ can kill the Joker...Nothin’.” 

You wake up the next day to the sound of his cackle. 


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is shit I'm so sorry. I'll edit this later just enjoy. Life is chaos right now. I have a day off soon so I'll do some editing to this story, so stay tuned for that.  
> UPDATE: I edited it...but it still seems gross

You couldn’t believe it. It had been months since the death of Jerome, when you moved in with Jeremiah and Ecco, when your life changed completely. And now it was going to change again. Your Jason was finally born. 

It just sort of happened. You were relaxing in bed and the contractions hit, and they started to get worse and worse as the day went on. Then your water broke, and Jeremiah was quick to get you ready. After a few hours of pushing and pain, your Jason finally entered into the world. 

Ecco placed Jason on your bare chest. You heard that this was something doctors did, since it helped establish a connection. The first thing you noticed was how red his hair seemed, just like his father’s. Once he opened his eyes you could see they looked like Jerome’s, although a deep gray. His giggle was like Jerome’s, his smile. So maybe you thought Jason was a mini Jerome. You easily saw your lover’s traits in your son. You loved Jason even more because of that. 

After a minute Jason was taken away from you. Ecco and Jeremiah worked on cleaning both you and your new son up. It seemed like forever, but it was only five minutes or so before Jason was returned to you. The maternal instincts kicked in and you held Jason close to you. He cooed and your heart just melted. 

“Jason is healthy.” Jeremiah informed you. (Somehow he understood medical science. But then again, he did create this giant maze of a hideout). “Around 7 pounds, I’d say 15 inches in length. Overly happy, which he definitely gets from his father.” 

You laugh, your eyes not letting Jason out of their sight. “He looks a lot like him, doesn’t he?”

“It’s terrifying.” You laugh at Jeremiah’s joke. 

Ecco walks in. a smile on her face. “Maybe we should leave [Y/N] be. She needs her rest.”

Jeremiah nods. “I assume you’re right. Rest up. We’ll take care of Jason if necessary.” 

“No, leave him here.” You request. “I want him with me.”

Jeremiah doesn’t say no. He grabs Jason from your arms and places him in his crib, which was placed beside your bed. You lean over, seeing Jason starting to fall asleep. You don’t hear Jeremiah or Ecco leave. You’re lost in thought, staring at your newborn son. His eyes soon close, and you hear a small chuckle from behind you. 

“He looks like you…”

You laughed. “No J, he looks like you.”

“He has your nose.” 

You laugh again. “Maybe, but he has your chin.”

“How the hell can you tell that already?”

You chuckle. “I have a feeling.” 

“You know, I hear that someone is gonna bring me back.” 

You smile at the thought. “Really?”

“I sure hope so! I want to see my sweet JJ in real life.” 

You close your eyes, resting in bed. “You will Jerome, you will.” 

You fall asleep. Jeremiah sighs. He had been waiting outside, just to make sure you were alright. You were talking to Jerome again, something that he had noticed you frequently did. But for the first time, Jeremiah heard his brother too. Something was coming, and Jeremiah could feel it. 


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back~

A year passed since Jason’s birth. Jason had grown before your eyes. He was already calling you “Mama”, Jeremiah “Jer” and Ecco “E”. He was such a beautiful boy, and he looked just like his father: The red hair, the green eyes. Almost everything was Jerome Valeska. 

He was starting to walk. You followed him around the halls of the maze, letting him get his exercise in. He sometimes could stand up, but he would fall over again. You laughed. Your son was adorable, and you loved him. 

You wished Jerome could see him. You heard him every so often, him laughing when Jason would fall over or say “he looks like you” or even insult his brother. You figured you were just going crazy, that your Jerome’s craziness was finally rubbing off on you. But it was always lovely to hear his voice again. 

Jason crawls back to your and his room. He giggles, making grabby hands up at you. You smile, picking up your infant son. “Mama!” He coos as he rests against you. You smile, bouncing him a little. You sit down on the bed, turning on the TV. The new was on, and you couldn’t help but gasp when you saw the news. 

The news had been hijacked by a cult, a Joker cult. Everyone was dressed up like clowns, roughed up people, Jerome himself. And in front of it all was a man wearing Jerome’s face, chanting “We Are Jerome!” at the raging crowd of people. He was pretending to be your beloved, the father of your child. You couldn’t help but cringe. How dare he disrespect Jerome like this? 

And then you see him, his face covered in blood and you could see the muscles on his face, but his bright green eyes still popped. He was in the same magicians outfit as he was that night. He stabs this man who stole his face in the heart, taking his face back and wearing it himself. He laughs, and it’s his laugh, although his voice is deeper somehow. The crowd goes wild, cheering for their new leader. And then he looks into the camera, and you can feel him stare right into your soul, like he knew you were watching the broadcast. 

“Puddin’, I’m comin’.” He announces, and you can tell he was smiling underneath his face mask. 

Jeremiah slams the door open, running into the room in an obvious panic. “It’s Jerome! He’s-”

“I know!” You cheer. “He’s alive again!” 

“And you’re happy?” Jeremiah asks. 

You nod. “He’s the father of my baby, of course I’m happy!” 

Jason cheers too, although he doesn’t know what is even happening. Jeremiah panics, running off to plan a lock down with Ecco. All you cared about was that the father of your son was alive and well and the fact that some douchebag named Dwight cut your beloved's face off. 


	27. Chapter 27

Jerome’s return was not well received. Many in Gotham were terrified that the maniac was back, while the GCPD was quick to start hunting him and his gang down. Jeremiah and Ecco worked on keeping their bunker safe from Jerome and his gang. But you were excited to see him, to see the man you love, the father of your child. 

Soon it was the middle of the night, Jeremiah and Ecco asleep, the bunker quiet. You finally decided that you couldn't wait any longer. You had to go see Jerome. You pack up your things, and even a few of Jason’s things too, slinging the bag over your shoulder before you manage to escape the bunker. Jeremiah had given you a piece of paper with all the codes and information for the bunker in case you needed to leave. It was only for emergencies, but this was somewhat an emergency right? 

You enter the woods, not really sure how you would get to Gotham and to Jerome. Jeremiah lived in the middle of the woods, hidden away from everything. You hold Jason close and you start walking down the path to the street. Maybe you could hitchhike your way to Gotham, or maybe walk there. But that would take forever and be tiring. And who knows what Jason would do. You continue to walk down the path, trying to think of something. 

Once you reach the end of the path you see a car blocking it. You stand as far back as you could, observing the car. One of the windows gets rolled out, and a pair of bright green eyes find you. 

Jerome’s face was stapled together, barely holding on. But somehow he still manages to smile brightly, to laugh happily as he sees you. He sticks his hand out the window and motions you to come forward. You run to him, holding Jason tightly in your arms. Soon the door opens, and you get inside. You start crying of joy immediately, so happy to see the love of your life again. 

“Jerome!” You cry. 

“Puddin’!” He hugs you tightly, leaving as many kisses on your head as he could. “My sweet little puddin’.” 

“I missed you so much!” You cry into his shoulder. 

“I’m right here [Y/N], I’m right here.” Jerome pulls back, smiling down at Jason. “My baby boy...My JJ.”

The baby giggles up at his father, holding his arms out. Jerome quickly grabs Jason and hugs him. And Jerome starts to cry. He kisses Jason’s head so many times, holding his baby boy tightly. 

“Hey JJ, it’s me, your daddy.” He smiles. “My happy little boy.” 

Jason giggles, enjoying the snuggles. You hug them both, loving that your family was back together and happy. Jerome soon tells the driver to start moving, and he does. Jerome and you relax in the backseat, Jason giggling and playing around. You catch Jerome up on everything that had happened. He was pretty upset to hear that Theo Galavan died, but you told him the brightside was that he would never hurt him again. Jerome smiles and kisses your forehead. 

“You’re right Puddin’, you’re right.” Jerome smiles. 

The driver pulls up to an old and abandoned circus...You recognize it as the old Haly’s Circus grounds. The car stops and Jerome helps you and Jason out. He smiles, standing a top of a box and waving his arms around. 

“Welcome home Princess! Welcome to The Joker’s Circus!” He smiles. Jason claps happily, and you give a happy smile. “What do you think baby?”

“Jerome...It’s perfect!” 


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay yet again :(

You watched as the circus started to boom with life. All of Jerome’s followers started to come and party, and Jerome even helped you into a matching ring leader outfit. After that, Jerome spent all of his time with Jason, catching up with him. You watched as Jerome showed Jason around, taking care of his adorable and sweet son. 

“I think he likes you.” You smile and kiss Jerome’s cheek. 

“Ya think so?” He asks. You nod. “He better. I am his daddy after all.” 

You giggle. “Don’t worry puddin’, he’s a daddy’s boy alright.” 

Jerome nods and kisses Jason’s forehead. The baby giggles. Jerome holds Jason close and then whistles. He steps onto a small poutom and pulls you up with him. The three of you stand there as all of Jerome’s followers crowd around in the circus tent. Jason giggles at all the people, and you can see many of Jerome’s female followers were jealous that he picked you out of everyone else. If only they knew your history…

The lights turn off and a single spotlight shines on the three of you. “Ladies and gentlemen, germs and worms, welcome to The Joker’s Circus!” The crowd cheers. “You all know my worm in crime, Mrs. [Y/N] Valeska!” The crowd gives you small cheers. “And I’d like to introduce you to my own little germ, Jason!” Jerome presents Jason to the crowd and they all clap and verbally aww for him. Jason soaks in the attention. He loves it. 

“Baby, mind holdin’ our baby while I give the big speech?” Jerome asks you. You nod and take Jason from him. You smile and watch Jerome pace around the tent, the light following him. He carries a crowbar around as his little staff and pointer, the crowbar already covered in blood. He did look so handsome carrying that thing around. “Well, as we all know I’ve risen from the dead to grace you all and be your lovely ruler.” The crowd cheers. “Now...No doubt the GCPD will be burning on asses soon, and in a few minutes our other special guest should be arriving soon. Who you may ask? None other than young boy genius Bruce Wayne!” 

Jerome unveils a setup, with a giant pole and a cannon. “We’ll tie up ol’ Brucie to this here pole, and then we’ll shoot things at ‘em!” He laughs. The crowd laughs with him. “Maybe if we try hard enough, we can get access to his bank and we can find our projects in a more...legal way.” The crowd boos. “Alright fine! Rob people violently, I don’t care!” The crowd cheers at that. “Every outcast, prison inmate, Arkham wacko, strange sea creatures, are all welcome here in this circus and everything illegal...is legal!” 

Jerome laughs as his crowd cheers. You couldn’t believe your lover had such power and influence on people. But you had to think about it. These people are like him. They probably came from bad families and weren’t accepted for being a little different. You didn’t agree with the violence part of things, but you did like that these kids had a home and your Jerome was the leader of it. 

“GO CRAZY!” Jerome explains, and the lights turn back on. The circus springs to life and everyone runs off. Jason giggles and tries to leap out of your arms. Jerome wraps his arm around you and smiles, kissing your cheek rapidly. “How did I do?” He laughs. 

“You did great honey. You inspired so many.” You kiss his cheek. 

As you lean in, Jason grabs at his father’s face, managing to tear it off a little and pull out a few staples. Jerome frowns. He pulls Jason’s baby fingers away from his face and gently pokes him with the crowbar. “Not. Funny.” At that, Jason starts to cry. You frown and pull the baby close, getting him to calm down. 

Someone runs into the tent, smiling like an idiot. “Joker! Bruce Wayne, we got him!”

Jerome smirks. “Perfect.” He laughs evilly again, and Jason cries even more. 


	29. Chapter 29

You had only seen Bruce Wayne once: The night Jerome died. You remembered how scared he seemed, how he just wanted to escape. But now he seemed overly confident, staring down Jerome like his eyes were going to shoot bullets right at him. But of course he was unphased. Jerome just looked at Bruce with that stupid smile on his face, laughing evilily. Jason was still crying his eyes out. You kept bouncing him, but the poor thing just seemed scared. 

“Couldcha get him to shut up?” Jerome snaps at you. 

“He’s never been this upset before!” You snap back. You kiss his forehead, hoping he would calm down. You bounce him up and down, hoping something would work. Jerome sighs. He grabs you by the shirt and drags you out of the tent. 

“I’m gonna torture Bruce, you calm the little champ down, ‘kay?” Jerome pats Jason head and he cries even more. Jerome rolls his eyes and leaves. You sit down in a familiar spot. You see the spots of dead grass, some sprinkles of dried blood in the dirt, the horrid stench of alcohol from the trailer beside you. This is where you and Jerome met all those years ago. 

“Hey, hey…” You say to Jason. “Sit down in the grass with me.” 

You sit the baby down in the grass, and he seems to start calming down. He crawls to you and demands he be near you, and you let him. You ruffle his ginger locks, humming to him. It seemed that both of you ignored the chaos and noise and enjoyed each other’s company. 

“I met your daddy here...He was just a kid, so was I. He was just doing a magic trick and he messed up, and a bunch of kids started to bully him. But I came to his rescue. I miss those days. Everything seemed simpler but…” You picked Jason up. “You wouldn’t be there.” 

Jason seemed to have calmed down and he giggles, grabbing at your hair and nose. You laugh and kiss his forehead, before getting up and taking him back to his father. Jerome was in the middle of clowning Bruce up, laughing at his concern. Jerome seemed to have finally broke him. 

“Oh good! The baby has shut up!” Jerome laughs and turns to you. “Guess he had a lot of pent up emotions he had to let out!” 

“I guess so…” You nod. “What’s the plan now?”

Jerome scoffs at you. “Do you not know me? It’s to have fun!” He jumps up in the air like a child. You laughed at him. “OH! An idea is hittin’ my thinker. Wait here for a moment, yeah?” Jerome kisses you sloppy and he runs off. You watch him leave, before you find a little box and sit down on it. 

“Congratulations on the baby.” Bruce whispers. “I know you’re going to kill me, but I’m still glad…”

“Jerome is going to kill you, I’m not.” You correct him. “I don’t like hurting people. I just...I just allow it to happen.” 

Bruce nods. “I can tell. You seem to love him.”

“J? Yeah, I do. I’ve loved him since I was little.” You explain. “He’s been there for me when others weren’t. I owe him a lot. I’m upset about his path, but I’ll follow him to the ends of the earth.” 

“At least he has a heart...even if it is small.” Bruce nods. “That’s better than nothing.” 

“I guess you’re right.” You agree. You look at Jason, who is looking over at Bruce with a curious face. He was interested in the other man for sure. But after a while he turned back to you. He hugged you tightly, cooing in your arms. You rub his back and help soothe him. 

“He looks like his father...From what I’ve seen.” Bruce says. “I bet he will continue to look like him, but have your features too.” 

“You think?” You smile. You and Bruce were getting along quite well. Bruce nods back at you. Soon this gentle conversation is interrupted by Jerome again, pulling a giant fishtank of piranhas with him. 

“It’s for the dunk tank!” He announces. He screams at two of his goons to set it up. They quickly rush and take the tank away. Jerome slides next to you and pulls Jason out of your arms. “Hey baby!”

He tugs at Jerome’s face again, pulling out more of the staples. He keeps laughing and you swear that Jason even slapped his father. You giggled a little, but Jerome glares at you. You stop and look away, but you still have a stupid smirk on your face. Jerome was tired of Jason’s antics, but he was just a baby, a kid. You really started to wonder what direction for life was taking and if you should have stayed in the bunker with Jeremiah or not. But Jerome already claimed you as his queen, and you were to be crowned in front of all of Gotham that night, in a shower of chaos and blood. 


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, sorry for the massive delay

It was a strange ceremony to say the least. Jerome bounced around once he discovered the GCPD was here. Him and his goons quickly got everything ready, pulling Bruce up to the stage and tying him to a large pole. Jason looked around and giggled in your arms while everyone got ready for the big show. Soon the lights went down, and you could hear the shouts of some of the police officers. You looked towards Jerome with massive concern, but he just laughed it off. He pulls you close and drags you and Jason onto the main stage. 

You don’t hear what the man says, but Jerome’s hype man gets the crowd going. Jerome waves and smiles, even mooning the entire crowd. You blush and giggle a bit. Your Jerome was such a weirdo. Soon the crowd calms down, and Jerome starts to give his speech. 

“Well...the show is about to begin...who's ready?” The crowd cheers loudly. Jerome’s hype man however doesn’t stop with everyone. He keeps running around and cheering. Jerome groans and pulls out his gun, shooting the man in the back. He fell over, groaning as he hit the ground. “SHUT UP!” Jerome yells, and everyone else cheers. Jason even claps. 

“Anyways, we can all agree that tonight has been a success!” The crowd gently whoops. “We brought this miserable city to its knees.” The crowd cheers more. “You all are the best cult fanatics a prophet like myself could ask for. Well, no one better than my one and only anyways.” He pulls you close again, and the crowd cheers for you. You smile and wave back, Jason giggling at the attention. “Now, as a treat for all you good boys and girls, I give you the climax of our festivities!” 

Jerome gestures to the back curtain. You watch as Bruce is rolled out into the spotlight. They had put makeup on him, the boy looking down at the ground in complete misery. You look to Jerome, who is smiling at the handy work he’s done. He lowered his bullhorn and leaned down, whispering to Jason.

“If you misbehave more, you’ll end up just like Brucie~” You smack Jerome on the back of the head for that one. He grumbles, before adding, “Be a good boy.” Then Jerome turns his attention back to the crowd, back to his cult. 

“And starring in our final climax is the millionaire prince of Gotham, Bruce Wayne!” The crowd boos at Bruce, and he continues to look down at the ground. You wondered if he was ignoring everything or if the boos actually got to him. Jerome walks to him, sticking the megaphone in his face. “What do you say Bruce? Should we end the night with a bang, or better yet, a boom?” The crowd cheers and awaits the answer. 

The cannon gets pushed out, and instinctively you cover Jason up. You didn’t want Jason to get hurt. The crowd cheers more, waiting with anticipation to see what was going to happen next. The cannon is pointed right at Bruce’s torso, and he just looks at it with fear. You wanted to rescue him, but then again you didn’t want to get on Jerome’s bad side. The crowd starts chanting “Boom”, and Jerome encourages them. You watch and wait.

Jerome gets the cannon ready, filling it with a cannon ball, knives, nails, anything deadly and painful. Then you notice Bruce doing something. There was a staple in his arm and he was pulling it out. He was going to pick the lock with the loose staple! That was indeed clever. You just hoped he would get out in time. Jerome soon gets onto the cannon and straddles it. The crowd laughs at him. “You ready partner?” Jerome yells at Bruce.

Then three gunshots ring in the air. You gasp and look into the crowd. There was Jim Gordon, holding his gun up. Jerome simply laughs it off and tips his hat to him. 

“Detective Gordon! You’re just in time for the big finish!” Jerome laughs. 

Then the rest of the army arrives. 

Jerome panics. He gets off of the cannon and lights it before running to you. “Come on baby! We gotta go!” 

He laughs as he drags you away. After a few seconds you hear the cannon explode, and Jerome laughs. Bruce Wayne was dead, killed in front of the entire cult. Or was he? Both you and Jerome saw him run off. Jerome gave him a few seconds before running after him, still dragging you along. You entire the funhouse mirror building, and Jerome cackles up a storm. 

“Well, this is certainly more fun, isn’t it?” He smiles and twirls his gun around. You nod as a response. 

“You killed Alfred!” Bruce yells, and Jerome shoots at one of the mirrors. 

“Oh is this what everything is about?” Jerome sighs. “Are all rich kids this close to their butlers?” He shoots again, seeing Bruce’s reflection in the mirror. 

“This is about doing what’s right!” Bruce answers back. 

“Oh! So you wanna be a hero? I’ll tell you what, buddy.” Jerome snickers, leaning down and slides the gun over to where he thought Bruce was. Jason whines in your arms, and you hide behind Jerome. “Don’t worry Princess, he ain’t gonna hurt you.” He pulls out a knife and smiles back at you. 

Bruce comes from behind, tackling Jerome to the ground. You back away and gasp, watching as the two fall to the ground with a large thud. Jerome struggles to get up, crawling away before kicking Bruce right in the face. The kid gets knocked back, Jerome being able to stand back up. Bruce gets back on his feet. The two circle around one another, holding their fists in the air. Jerome throws a punch but Bruce avoids it, landing around three punches onto Jerome’s side and chest. Jerome stumbles back, obviously in pain but he laughs it off like always. Jerome tried again but Bruce knocked him to the ground. He kept punching Jerome in the face, blood spilling out everywhere and Jerome’s face coming undone again. 

“Come on kid! Finish me off!” 

You don’t even notice that you’re crying, or that Jason’s whines have grown louder. You just watch Bruce Wayne beat your lover up. After a few more punches Bruce grabs a shard of glass. He holds it above Jerome’s neck, panting as he mentally gets ready to shove it into the other’s neck. Jerome seemed ready to embrace death a second time. You hold your breath, not sure what to do. 

Bruce doesn’t stab him. He screams out in pain and drops the glass, it shattering everywhere. Bruce gets up and leaves, leaving you and Jerome behind. You sit by his side, trying to rearrange his face. 

“Hehe, don’t get your hands dirty.” Jerome orders, pushing your hand away. He does take Jason from you for a moment, and you swear the baby laughed at the state of his father. “And Jason...I’m not going to hurt you. Heat of the moment, sorry pal.” 

Jerome gets up, holding his face with one hand and Jason in the other. He smiles at you the best he can. “Let’s go see my brother, yeah?” 

You nod. “Yeah, let’s go Jay.” You smile back at him. Even though he was a murder, you still loved your Jerome. 


End file.
